The Case for Ty Wigginton

If my name were Billy Beane my 2009 opening day lineup would probably look something like this:

Buck-L
Ellis-R
Giambi-L
Holliday-R
Cust-L
Chavez-L
Suzuki-R
Sweeney-L
Crosby-R

We can quibble all you’d like over the exact order, but I feel fairly confident that these are the best nine guys the A’s can trot out there. Now to the assumptions I have made.

One, Travis Buck will win the starting job in right field. Two, Jason Giambi will be able to play the field five days a week. (Note: If my second assumption proves false, then I think Barton gets Buck’s spot, thus sending Giambi and Cust to DH/RF respectively.)

I like that lineup. I really do. I only have two minor problems with it. One, it leans rather heavily to the left (hence my placing Ellis in the second spot). Two, who plays first on the days that Giambi doesn’t? I think these problems might share a common solution.

In my roster construction Daric Barton begins the season in AAA, and stays there until he hits his way out of Sacramento. At first, it might seem like Barton would be the perfect understudy to Giambi, playing first on the days when Jason DHs (Cust to RF, Buck or Sweeney to bench), but that would mean Barton would be spending a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing. I don’t like that idea. Barton’s 23. He needs to play everyday. If not in Oakland, might as well be Sacramento.

The other three in-house options would be Jack, Jeff and Joe. I definitely don’t want Hannahan starting twice a week, Baisley is unproven, and Dillon is a minor league journeyman who just doesn’t really inspire much confidence.

Which is where Ty Wigginton enters into the equation. Last season Wigginton OPSed 1.055 against lefties; good for fifth in baseball. So is there a fit in Oakland with a lefty-masher like Ty?

There are at least two compelling reasons why such an acquisition would never happen. One, Wigginton will most likely command multiple years and too many dollars for the A’s budget. Two, the A’s don’t have any obvious place to put him in the field.

But what about throwing Wigginton out there any time you face a lefty. Maybe play him twice a week at first, and once at second and third each to keep Chavez and Ellis fresh. Obviously, you’re not going to face four lefties a week, but you do what you can.

Of course, if Wigginton proves too expensive, you could always go for a Rich Aurilia, but at that point I think you are better off just taking your chances with what you already have. I guess I’m just really unenthused about seeing Baisley/Dillon out there multiple times a week, and would hate to see Barton rotting on the bench. So what do you think? Should the A’s throw 3 or 4 million at Wigginton to be a super-utilityman?