With additions like Chone Figgins and Cliff Lee, GM Jack Zduriencik is making the Mariners matter again

Meet Chone Figgins, the Mariners' latest player-turned-salesman. Listen to their newly-signed infielder as he talks about his new team and its new image.

Ask him, for instance, what he would say to third baseman Adrian Beltre that might convince free agent Beltre to stay in Seattle. Listen to the palpable optimism this former Los Angeles Angels third baseman is feeling.

"I would tell him [Beltre] that he knows that this organization is trying to move in the direction of trying to win a division," Figgins said at Tuesday morning's news conference. "If you're willing to win and want to win and want to play in a place where you're comfortable, this is the place for you to be. Your decision is easy for you.

"I think he knows which way the organization is going. I know he knows it's a lot of upside. He knows the city. He knows the travel. He knows it's a great place to play."

The point here is that Figgins and the Mariners have a vision for 2K10 and beyond. And Figgins believes the rest of baseball is beginning to take notice.

Figgins is another incandescent presence in the Mariners' clubhouse and another sprinter-with-a-bat at the top of the M's order. He is the first puzzle piece of what promises to be a busy and thrilling offseason.

Next on the agenda is completing a trade for former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee even if, when asked about the trade Tuesday, Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik set a team record for most "no comments" in a news conference.

"Today is about Chone Figgins," Zduriencik said.

Figgins fits.

He is perfect for manager Don Wakamatsu's "Go-Go M's" style of small ball, gold gloves and tightfisted pitching.

"They just had a different mentality on the field this season," Figgins said, comparing the 2009 Mariners with their recent predecessors.

Since arriving a year ago, Zduriencik has gone shopping for selfless players like Figgins. He has successfully undertaken the enormous task of changing the culture of the Mariners.

He hired a manager who shared his belief of how the game should be played. He brought in players who fit that philosophy. He infused the franchise with personality.

At Tuesday's news conference Zduriencik called the combination of speed, pitching and defense he is assembling, "Earth, Wind and Fire."

Once the trade for Lee is made, Zduriencik will be only one big bat — Adrian Gonzalez? Vladimir Guerrero? Jason Bay? — short of a full load.

In only one year, Zduriencik has transformed the Mariners from a clubhouse of grumpy old men to a group of guys willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

Zduriencik has turned Seattle into a destination team; a franchise where free agents feel comfortable; a place where winners, like Figgins, come to win.

When he adds Lee to the rotation, he will give the Mariners a righty-lefty punch of Felix Hernandez and Lee that is as good as any in the game.

"He's a competitor," Figgins said of Lee. "He wants to win. He wants the ball in his hands for all nine innings. To be able to get a player like him to fit on this team behind Felix, when I found out about this yesterday, I started thinking about the possibilities.

"We go into New York next year and we have Cliff Lee and Felix going up against [CC] Sabathia and [A.J.] Burnett. Then we go into Boston and they pitch against [John] Lackey and [Josh] Beckett, I mean that's a couple of weekends to see, I'll tell you that."

And that doesn't even factor in the value of Hernandez and Lee in October.

"When it comes to the playoffs, if you have two guys like that," Figgins said, "you've got a chance."

That's what Zduriencik is doing. He's giving Seattle a chance. From Figgins, to Lee, to who-knows-what-other-bat-he'll-find, Zduriencik is making the Mariners matter again.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists