Wigginton is a versatile infielder/outfielder who played mostly third base while with Houston but was moved to left field late in the 2008 season after an injury to Carlos Lee. In August, he bashed 12 homers after hitting just nine the previous four months.

Expecting an arbitration raise in the off-season, he was instead caught in the budget crunch and cut loose. After waiting most of the winter to be signed, he inked a deal with Baltimore for far less than he would have likely made in Houston.