Mariners on the Verge of Signing Chone Figgins to a Four Year Deal

So this went from just a rumor, to apparently on the verge of being a done deal, over the course of like 18 hours. The word from Ken Rosenthal is that we’re on the verge of inking Figgins to a four year deal, somewhere in the $36 million range. My thoughts are going to have to be quick, as I’m currently at school, but I’ll do what I can.

Figgins is good. He was one of the most valuable players in baseball in 2009, and although he probably won’t repeat that performance, he’s a safe bet to at least be in the 3-4 win range. Since each win is valued at around $4.5 million, if we were to get him on a 4 year, $36 million deal, we’d be getting somewhat cheap wins.

He doesn’t have any power, and that will become even more apparent at Safeco, but he’s a good hitter and a good defensive third baseman. The power thing won’t be an issue – it’s not as big of a necessity as many casual fans think. If this deal happens, that’s definitely a good thing for this club. By the end of four years, Figgins will just be exiting his prime, so it’s not like we’re signing a guy who’s going to die out on us by 2011.

If this deal happens, we’re filling one of our biggest holes, while improving this club’s offense, and without coming anywhere near overpaying. That’s all I’ve got for now* – for some more coherent, and less rushed thoughts, go read Jeff’s post at LL.

*If a deal does happen, I’ll definitely have a lot more to say tonight.

The Mlb.com article can be found here.

EDIT: From Shannon Drayer’s Twitter:

“Figgins deal all but done-most likely will not be announced today however”