2011 MLB Trade Rumors: Mariners Looking to Move Figgins
By Editorial Staff
According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the Seattle Mariners are willing to offer teams cash to facilitate a Chone Figgins trade. At this point, sources say the Mariners view the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants as possible trade partners for Figgins.
The fact that the Mariners want to rid themselves of the disappointment that has been Figgins is a no-brainer. What will be interesting to see is how much money Seattle’s willing to kick into a deal and how much interest other teams have in Figgins.
The 33-year-old is set to make $17 million over the next two seasons and has a vesting option for 2014. If Figgins reaches 600 plate appearances in 2013, his option will vest and the Mariners, or whatever team trades for him, will be on the hook for an additional $9 million.
This is a ridiculous amount of money for a player who finished 2011 with an OPS of .484 over 81 games. Figgins performed a little better in 2010, hitting .259 with 21 doubles and 42 stolen bases, but still fell short of the player Seattle thought they were getting when they signed him. The Mariners would love to be able to trade Figgins and go with a younger, cheaper option at third.
But why would another team want to trade for him? Morosi says that those close to Figgins believe if the former All-Star is given a chance to hit leadoff for a club, his numbers will start to pickup. As a Mariner, Figgins has no shot at batting in the one hole due to the presence of Ichiro Suzuki.
Another attribute of Figgins is his versatility. While he primarily started at third base in 2011, Figgins also has the ability to man second and the outfield. Morosi mentions that some team could add Figgins and use him in a super-utility role.
A club isn’t going to pay even the best super-utility player the kind of money Figgins has coming to him, and that’s not considering the veteran’s two awful seasons in Seattle. To make a trade happen, it looks like the Mariners are going to have to kick in some serious cash as currently there doesn’t seem to be much interest in Figgins.
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