Major League Baseball

Source: Cardinals pick up Wigginton

Published Dec. 14, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

Ken Rosenthal

The St. Louis Cardinals, adding a right-handed hitter to their bench, reached agreement Friday with free-agent infielder Ty Wigginton on a two-year contract in the $5 million range, according to a major-league source.

Wigginton, 35, spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, batting .235 with a .688 OPS, 11 home runs and 43 RBIs in 125 games. He played mostly first base and third but also appeared in seven games in left field.

The Cardinals earlier this offseason pursued free agent Marco Scutaro to be their starting second baseman. That doesn’t figure to be Wigginton’s role - he last played second in 2010, and has been mostly a third baseman and first baseman in his career.

St. Louis will be Wigginton’s eighth team in his 12 major-league career. He is a lifetime .263 hitter with a .762 OPS, and teams also value him for his character and strong clubhouse presence.