Mariners, Chone Figgins in serious negotiations

FOXSPORTS.com's John Paul Morosi is reporting that the Mariners are the frontrunners for free agent infielder Chone Figgins. 

Talks are expected to heat up next week in Indianapolis at the Winter Meetings, which MLBDD will be covering live.

Figgins would replace Adrian Beltre as the teams third baseman, assuming Beltre does not accept the teams arbitration offer. In the event that he does accept the offer, Figgins can move to second base and Jose Lopez can be moved to first.

With Placido Polanco signing in Philadelphia for three years and 18 million dollars earlier today, Figgins can expect a deal in the 25-35 million dollar range. 

First and foremost, Figgins is four years younger than Polanco and was far superior on the base paths, evident by his runs, walks, and stolen bases numbers compared to Polanco's. Polanco is one of the top defensive infielders in the game, winning his second Gold Glove last season. Figgins turned 36 double plays last season with a 16.7 UZR. 

For the Mariners, it is an interesting move considering they were expected to be players for a big name bat. However, Figgins would solidify the top of the order and give some of their young guys more opportunities to drive in runs.

The Angels are still considering Figgins and are still very much in play for his services in 2010.