"Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins, who signed with the team after the 2009 season to much fanfare and the tune of $36 million over four years, clearly is not in the organization's long-range plans.

But what to do with a utility player who is still owed $17 million over the next two seasons? Keep him on the bench? Cut him in the offseason?

Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner has a suggestion: Trade him to the San Francisco Giants for left-hander Barry Zito.

The proposal is in the mold of the deal that sent Carlos Silva to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Milton Bradley before the 2010 season. Both players had bad contracts and were no longer in the plans of their respective teams. A change-of-scenery trade was the only way both teams might extract some value from their bad investment."