Fantasy Baseball Paid and Trade: Chone Figgins in Seattle Make Fantasy Sense

When the Seattle Mariners announced that they had signed Chone Figgins, I sat and contemplated how this would effect the Mariners lineup from a fantasy baseball prospective.

My first impression was a simple, "Wow". Imagine two speedy, on-base machines like Ichiro Suzuki and Figgins at the top of that lineup and visions of stolen bases, masterful hit-and-run plays, and tons of runs come to mind. Matt Snyder, who writes here at FanHouse, backs my vision.

Ichrio Suzuki sported a .386 on-base percentage in 2009, but his rate of runs scored and stolen bases fell, likely due to the lack of consistency and power behind him in the lineup. The Mariners finished dead last in the American League in runs scored last season. They didn't get on base well and lacked power. They were just collectively anemic. The Mariners are still looking for power, but Figgins will team with Ichiro to create one of the best table-setting duos atop the order in baseball. Figgins, who had a .395 on-base percentage last year with 42 stolen bases and 101 walks figures to slot behind Ichiro in the everyday lineup and will give a huge boost to the offense.

It's easy to see how this move is going to increase the fantasy value of both Ichiro and Figgins. Before you lock in their projections to you draft simulators, you may want to wait until Seattle is done dealing. Someone else might be coming to town to further bolster the lineup. Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says that Adrian Beltre may be coming back to sign with the Mariners.

Figgins then got on a phone with the Seattle press corps and a few media from Anaheim in a conference call that lasted 12 minutes and took place as he was driving home from the airport. I asked Figgins about the delay in announcing whether he'd play third base -- with the team still looking at a possible free-agent deal with Beltre -- and which position he'd be most comfortable at if he had to move.

"It would probably be second,'' he said. "Me and Jack (Zduriencik) kind of talked, so it would probably be second. I've moved around pretty much my whole career except last year, but even then I played a couple of games at second base. So, I think those guys know that I'm pretty much prepared for anything.''

Not only will this give some added insurance to the batting order after Ichiro and Figgins, but it will give Figgins some extra positional eligibility once he plays enough games at second base.

Other Fantasy Baseball Notes

• Brad Penny signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals and looks to be their third or fourth starter, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Penny notched 11 wins last season with a 4.88 ERA, but what excites me is his six game National League spread with the San Francisco Giants at the end of last season. He started six games and went 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA. Maybe this shows that the National League is the place for Penny.

• After the Detroit Tigers lost Curtis Granderson, it's easy to see why Fox Sports is reporting that they are interested in trading for Juan Pierre. The fourth outfielder for the Dodgers is also drawing interest from the Pirates and the White Sox. For Pierre's fantasy value to rise dramatically, he's going to need to find a home where he'll be a starting outfielder, not just one of the outfield mix.

• Chad Jennings of The Journal News is reporting that Andy Pettitte has signed a one-year deal with the New York Yankees. I know it isn't sexy to draft a pitcher who will turn 38 this season, but pitching for the Yankees firmly entrenches Pettitte into the late-round draft category, somewhere near the late 17th to 18th round area.

• The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel announced that Randy Wolf has signed with the Brewers. Wolf had a 3.23 ERA last season with the Dodgers and won 11 games while striking out 160 batters. He'll help the Brewers with their pitching woes and should be a middle to late-round selection in fantasy drafts.

• Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says that Indians catching prospect Carlos Santana had surgery on his right hand and will not be able to hit for eight to ten weeks. This all but forces the young, power hitting catcher who batted .290 with 23 home runs in Double-A Akron last season to start the season in Triple-A, instead of in Cleveland.

• The Phillies have signed Ross Gload, according to MLB.com beat writer Todd Zolecki. Gload will come in to pinch hit at times, but I'm not sure how often with the stacked bench already in place in Philadelphia. This move kills any mixed-league value for Gload and banishes him to NL-only relevance.

Paid and Trade is FanHouse's offseason look at the baseball world through the eyes of a fantasy baseball GM.