Chone Figgins will give Mariners flexibility

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik loves the idea of having flexibility on the field with players he can use at multiple positions.

He demonstrated it last season by acquiring utilitymen Bill Hall and Jack Hannahan, continued this winter by working out No. 1 draft pick Dustin Ackley at second base, and should keep on doing it with the expected acquisition of Chone Figgins, a multitalented third baseman and outfielder.

But it's the kind of flexibility Zduriencik has bought himself off the field that could help make him the star of the annual baseball winter meetings in Indianapolis this week.

Zduriencik's entourage begins heading to the meetings today with a Mariners roster completely revamped from the one it inherited. Throw in an enviable cash surplus, not encumbered by a horde of long-term commitments, and Zduriencik has the flexibility to bolster his team that fellow GMs can only dream about.

"Whether it's dollar-wise or [with] players you have to go out and get," Zduriencik said, "if you have flexibility ... that opens other doors that maybe it wouldn't."

Zduriencik has transformed the Mariners team that opened the 2008 season with playoff hopes but lost 101 games, ensuring the firing of GM Bill Bavasi. Only two position players, Ichiro and Jose Lopez, remain from the 2008 opening-day roster, and Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, Mark Lowe and Carlos Silva are the lone arms still here.

Free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre is expected to be the next to leave, though he has until Monday to accept or reject the team's offer of arbitration. Seattle was expected to sign Figgins to a four-year, $36 million deal to replace Beltre and bolster a team on-base percentage that was the American League's worst last season.

Figgins would become one of only a handful of Mariners with contracts running beyond next season.

The Mariners ended the 2009 campaign with only Ichiro, Lopez and Silva on the books beyond the 2010 campaign. Zduriencik then went out and negotiated an extension with shortstop Jack Wilson, tearing up an $8.4 million option for 2010 and negotiating a more club-friendly two-year, $10 million deal.

That lower per-annum cost on Wilson bought the Mariners security at the shortstop position and added flexibility on payroll heading into 2010. The Mariners already saw nearly $50 million in payroll come off their books at the end of 2009 with the departures of Jarrod Washburn, Kenji Johjima, Miguel Batista, Erik Bedard and, likely, Beltre.

And while the Mariners will owe raises in arbitration to several players, including a whopper to Hernandez if a long-term extension isn't negotiated first, that still leaves millions in extra dollars for the team to spend on acquisitions. The Figgins deal was expected to be the first of many player acquisitions by a Mariners team linked to numerous trade talks and virtually every high-profile free agent on the market.

Contrast that with what faced Bavasi midway through the 2007 season. At that point, Bavasi knew he already had a dozen players under contract for 2008 and another seven for 2009, limiting his ability to acquire needed pitching and offense.

One of those locked up for 2008 and 2009 was Batista, signed for three years, $25 million and who wound up spending most of his final two seasons in the bullpen. Batista was considered to be a No. 4 or No. 5 starter, a designation Zduriencik can currently apply to seven pitchers vying for those roles — Ryan Rowland-Smith, Morrow, Ian Snell, Luke French, Jason Vargas, Garret Olson and Doug Fister.

The difference is, only Snell is under contract for the 2010 season, with a club option after that. In other words, Zduriencik could simply decide to non-tender any of the above arms if he acquired additional pitching at the winter meetings. He also has the flexibility to keep all of the above-mentioned pitchers in the minor leagues, the bullpen, or as trade bait if things get more crowded.

The Mariners are said to have inquired about free-agent pitchers John Lackey and Rich Harden, and Zduriencik is highly familiar with free agent Ben Sheets from his days with the Milwaukee Brewers. Seattle could also revisit trade talks with the Detroit Tigers after turning down a proposed deal that would have sent pitcher Edwin Jackson to the Mariners in exchange for Morrow and reliever Shawn Kelley.

"That really depends on what presents itself," Zduriencik said. "At the end of the day when you make a trade, that's basically between the clubs. When you sign a free agent, that player has a choice. That player has to want to want to come to your city. I think you might target certain organizations, might target certain players. You're not certain how it might come together. We're keeping all of our options open and want to improve the ballclub. We have some needs to fill."

The most pressing needs, assuming Figgins is signed, will be in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the rotation, a first baseman/designated hitter and possibly left field and the middle infield. Zduriencik has also looked into acquiring a veteran catcher, as a safeguard in case Rob Johnson isn't healed enough or rookie Adam Moore falters.

Russell Branyan remains a potential first-base option, though Zduriencik has also mentioned the need for a right-handed bat.

"Do I expect everything to happen within a four-day span?" Zduriencik asked. "I don't know that. But there certainly will be a lot of work. Does it mean something will happen during the middle of it? Sure. Will it happen after? I'm sure it will."

Whatever the timetable, Zduriencik has the flexibility to make it happen that his predecessor lacked.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com