M's Offseason Targets | Willie Harris: The Budget Friendly Chone Figgins

Mariners fans know Chone Figgins well. He’s a utility man on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a guy the Mariners fans assume the team would have coveted this offseason, though the recent trade for Bill Hall seems to have calmed that notion. Figgins is also a free agent at the end of the season. The team now has three guys who can legitimately combine to back up any position on the field that isn’t catcher or pitcher: Hall, Ryan Langerhans and Jack Hannahan. Each is pretty decent at one position at least. Both Hall and Hannahan figure to make up a righty-lefty platoon at third base next season, and each could feasibly cover shortstop or second base were an injury to occur. Likewise, Langerhans plays a solid outfield, and could play every day defensively at any position in the outfield. That doesn’t mean, however, that Figgins, or rather another utility man is off the Mariners radar. Unlike most utility guys, Figgins intrigue comes more from his offensive prowess t...