"Chone Figgins described his new Mariners team as "a good fit" on the day his contract was finally signed and sealed.

But exactly where Figgins is going to fit is still up in the air after the Mariners managed to inject some surprise into an announcement that had been a foregone conclusion for days. The ink had barely dried Tuesday on a four-year, $36-million deal for Figgins when Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik declared that he wasn't sure exactly which infield position the former Angels third baseman was going to play.

Zduriencik then strongly hinted, in front of a roomful of reporters at the baseball winter meetings, that he was still pursuing free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre despite the latter's decision to decline arbitration the previous night. Figgins has agreed to slide from third base over to second in the event the Mariners can outbid other teams and secure Beltre's services once again.

"Me and Jack [Zduriencik] kind of talked, so it would probably be second," Figgins said in a Tuesday night conference call from Florida, where he had just arrived after a flight back from Seattle. "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."

Zduriencik was believed to have met behind closed doors Tuesday night with Scott Boras, the agent for Beltre.

Figgins will likely have to shift his spot in the batting order as well, sliding down to the No. 2 spot from his customary leadoff role. The No. 1 slot has been Ichiro's domain since he broke into the majors in 2001 and Figgins made a convincing argument for why that should not change.

"I was just personally thinking that Ichiro is obviously one of the best leadoff hitters in the game," he said. "He's able to do what he's doing in the one-spot, so I figure with me plugged into the two-spot, being a little more patient at the plate, it makes an even more dangerous tandem at the one-two spot.""