According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the Seattle Mariners are "clear front-runners" to sign free agent third baseman Chone Figgins . The Mariners did offer Adrian Beltre , their starting third baseman for last several years, arbitration but he will likely sign elsewhere as he is only a Type-B free agent and his Gold Glove defence should be enough for him to get a contract he wants.
Figgins, who will turn 32 in January, posted line of .298 BA/.395 OBP/.394 SLG/.789 OPS in 2009, along with five homers and 54 RBI. He also swapped 42 bases this year.
Figgins is a guy who can draw walks, a type of player the Mariners don't have. He can also run, as 42 stolen bases shows that. He and Ichiro Suzuki can team up to create strong one-two punch in the lineup.
Figgins is a versatile player so even if Beltre accepts arbitration, Figgins can move over to second or outfield. In that case, Jose Lopez will likely move to second or Michael Saunders becoming their fourth outfielder. Figgins posted 16.7 UZR this year at third, so he is better at third defensively.
In any case, adding a player like Figgins is a great move for the Mariners. They need a guy who can consistently get on base and can play solid defence at third to fill a hole made by Beltre's departure. Do you think adding Figgins will help the Mariners get closer to winning AL West?
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