AS THE BASEBALL TRADING DEADLINE NEARS, EVERYBODY WANTS TY WIGGINTON.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are in a position similar to the position they've been in at the end of every July of their existance. They are out of a pennant race. And some of their players are considered potential parts for other teams.
This season the guy getting the most notice is second baseman Ty Wigginton.
Wigginton is another of Tampa Bay's famous retreads; guys who washed out elsewhere but found new life and revived their career at the Trop (Tropicana Field in Tampa/St. Petersburg).
Wigginton (pictued with team mate Johnny Gomes) has been a major assett to the Devil Rays for the past two seasons. Playing third base, second base, first base and the outfield; as well as occasionally DH'ing, he was well on his way to a 100 RBI season before injuries derailed him in '06. This season he's batting .275 with 16 homers and 49 RBI as of this writing.
Rumors involving Minnesota and the Yankees interest have been floating around for weeks; one trade had Ty going to the Yankees for relief pitcher Scott Proctor.
Wigginton would be a huge assett to the Yankees; giving them a solid hitter at first base and flexibility at several other positions. Ty could fill in a super-utility role with the Pinstripers.
As of today however that trade has not been completed and now rumor has it that the Red Sox and Mets are two other teams that have interest.
The Red Sox interest me as a Rays fan; I know they've been disenchanted with Coco Crisp, their center fielder and I know that they have a couple of young pitchers who would look good in Tampa; and there has been rumor that Carl Crawford could be moved as well. A blockbuster trade is not out of the realm of possibility; especially now that John Lester, the Boston hurler who battled cancer, pitched so well his first game back in the bigs.
The Mets of course have a couple of talented prospects as well but I'm not sure they're as deep in pitching. Were this to turn into a bidding war, the Yankees hold the edge as they are have the strongest crop of young pitching prospects.
The trading deadline often produces little but sometimes trades that are made impact the teams for years to come... in 1987 for example, the Tigers were hot on the trail of a division title and needed that pitching boost. The Braves, then on a par with todays Devil Rays, had a proven starter named Doyle Alexander, who the Tigers wanted. They traded a minor league pitcher to the Braves and rode Alexander's arm into the playoffs that year, he was amazing down the stretch and went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for the team down the stretch.
Oh yeah, the guy the Braves got? John Smoltz, a probable Hall of Fame'r when he retires; the only player in history with over 200 victories and 150 saves, and still going strong; a 10 - 5 record this season with a 2.78 ERA thus far.
Will the Devil Rays get someone like that for Ty Wigginton? Not likely, and certainly not intentionally... but then had the Tigers known what and who John Smoltz would become, he probably would still be with the AL Central team.
But there is no way to know how a player will mature or what injuries he might endure. Things have a way of never going exactly as you expect them to. Like the Mets, being interested in acquiring Ty Wigginton after they gave up on him once.
Will Wigginton end up in Boston, Minnesota, one of the NY clubs? Or will he remain in Tampa Bay, where he is a fan favorite for his hard-nosed style of play and clutch hitting? Time will tell... and most likely it will tell is in the next few days.
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