Chone Figgins went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI against the Rangers on Sunday.

The bomb, his first of the spring, helped up his Cactus League average to .356. Spring averages don't mean mean, but he did hit just .254 last exhibition season, and it's nice to see him hitting the ball well early after he got off to such a dreadful start in 2010. He's a pretty solid bet to get his average back into the .270-.280 range this year.

Chone Figgins went 1-for-2 with a run scored and his third stolen base of the spring against the Padres on Sunday.

He's now hitting .364 this exhibition season after batting just .254 last spring. Figgins hit .286 after the All-Star break last season, and should be in for a much more productive and consistent campaign during his second go-round in the Emerald City.

Chone Figgins went 2-for-3 with two RBI against the Cubs on Monday, upping his spring average to .346.

That's great, but he also got caught stealing for the third time, making him 0-for-3 on stolen-base attempts this spring. That's concerning after he went just 18-of-29 on steal attempts after the All-Star break last season.

Although he drew a walk and scored a run, Chone Figgins went 0-for-2 against the A's on Monday, dropping his spring average to .200 through 15-bats.

He has also yet to swipe a bag this exhibition season. It seems hard to believe that Figgins won't improve upon his monumentally disappointing 2010 season this year, but entering his age-33 campaign, it's quite possible he's simply no longer the player he was during his heyday with the Angels.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge said he's committed to opening the season with Chone Figgins following leadoff man Ichiro Suzuki in the order.

Figgins was a liability as a No. 2 hitter while batting .259/.340/.306 last season, but he's still pretty clearly the Mariners' best option there at the moment. Shifting him to the bottom of the lineup isn't going to be an option unless Dustin Ackley turns in a huge spring and forces the team to start him at second base. Right now, Brendan Ryan and Jack Wilson project as the No. 8 and 9 hitters.

A source told FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal that "nothing is going to happen" in regards to the Chone Figgins talks between the Mariners and A's.

A deal would be complicated, since a third team would likely have to be involved and Figgins has no-trade protection to Oakland. If talks are dead now, Figgins will probably stay in Seattle, at least until midseason.

Asked whether he'd considered waiving his no-trade rights to accept a deal to Oakland, Chone Figgins said Saturday that he wants to stay in Seattle.

"I always said, it's a great thing to be wanted,'' he said. "But I want to win here. I've said all along, this has been one of the best places I've ever played -- the city, the fans. I'll always love playing here. This is where I want to be, and until they force me out of here, this is where I'm going to be." Figgins doesn't have a full no-trade clause, but Oakland is on the list of teams he can block a deal to and it sounds like he just might use his veto power if given the opportunity.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said Friday that he's "looking forward to (Chone) Figgins being our starting third baseman."

We wouldn't expect him to say anything else. Figgins has not been asked to waive his no-trade clause to this point, but reports have said the Mariners have talked to the A's about him in a deal that would involved Kevin Kouzmanoff. Figgins is owed $26 million over the final three years of his deal, which obviously would be the biggest obstacle to something getting done.

Chone Figgins has been not been asked to waive his limited no-trade clause, which includes Oakland, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser.

The Contra Costa Times reported Thursday that the A's are trying to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff -- and potentially a pitcher -- to the Mariners for Figgins. ESPN's Buster Olney chipped in that Toronto could also be involved in trade discussions. Figgins is still owed $26 million over the final three years of his deal, ostensibly the biggest obstacle to a potential deal. Talks apparently haven't progressed to the point that Figgins needs to get involved, but there's plenty of smoke swirling and it could only be a matter of time before he's asked to grant approval of a swap.

The Contra Costa Times have learned that the A's are trying to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff -- and potentially a pitcher -- for the Mariners' Chone Figgins.

Oakland has been searching for a third base upgrade this off-season, but to no avail. Their recent bullpen acquisitions suggest the A's are making a serious push to unseat the Rangers in the AL West. Acquiring Figgins, despite coming off arguably his worst statistical season, would be an instant upgrade. Meanwhile, the Mariners would get a little younger and would shed the final three years and $26 million of his contract.

The Mariners have committed to moving Chone Figgins to third base.

Figgins was moved to second base last season when he signed with the Mariners, but the usually slick-fielding infielder did not have a good showing defensively and should be far better back at the familiar hot corner. Seattle seems likely to start prospect Dustin Ackley at second base this year. That, or they could peg Brendan Ryan as a temporary option at the position.

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times expects the Mariners to switch Chone Figgins back to his natural third base position.

The Mariners acquired the slick-fielding Brendan Ryan from the Cardinals on Sunday and he is expected to start at second base, which would push Figgins back to third. "We have not talked to Chone yet," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Sunday when asked about the possibility. "I just spoke this morning with (manager) Eric (Wedge). So, as we move forward, we've got a lot of time before spring training, but we would like to have discussions with our players sometime... I'd say in the next week to 10 days."

Chone Figgins had his first four-hit game of the season Tuesday against the Red Sox.

All four hits were singles and Figgins was caught stealing twice in the game, so it wasn't exactly a spectacular performance. He has, however, hit in seven straight to raise his average to .257.

According to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker, the Braves haven't approached the Mariners about a Chone Figgins deal.

The Braves reportedly had interested in Figgins as a center fielder last month, but they wanted the Mariners to eat some salary in a deal. Now they could really use him at third base, and it is quite likely that he'd clear waivers. However, it figures to be pretty difficult to get a deal done.

The Mets and Mariners have been very involved in trade discussions, and Chone Figgins could be the main piece of property that's moved in any deal.

This is mainly piecing a few things together to try to see what fits at this point. We know that the Mets and Mariners are talking trade. We know the Mariners shopped Figgins before the trade deadline and that he would almost surely clear waivers after the deadline. We know that Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada were scratched from their Triple-A lineups without any reason given. Put it all together and we could have a trade brewing. It's possible Luis Castillo and/or Jeff Francoeur could be involved in the deal, as well. Stay tuned.

Chone Figgins knocked in a season-high three runs with a double and a single on Friday.

That's four straight multihit games in a row for Figgins. On the off chance he was dropped in your mixed league, it's definitely time to pick him up. He's had an awful year, but he's remained a big stolen base threat and he could finally be getting hot.

The Mariners have approached the Braves about a possible Chone Figgins deal, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.

We might take the rumor seriously if the Braves and approached the Mariners instead. Crasnick says that the M's, not surprisingly, would have to eat a lot of money in any deal. Atlanta could use Figgins to fill in for the injured Martin Prado and could play him at third base if Chipper Jones retires after the season. This seems like a really big longshot, though.

Chone Figgins hit his first homer of the year in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.

Since a little controversy over his hustle last Friday, Figgins has been hot. He had two hits, two RBI and a steal tonight, the first time he has had multiple RBI in a game since Apr. 28. He has seven hits in five games since the incident, which can be called a hot streak for the bumbling Figgins. Look for him to finish the season on a high note.

Chone Figgins was pulled from Friday's game in the fifth inning after a skirmish in the Mariners dugout.

It looked like Jose Lopez was also involved. The incident may have started over a lackadaisical play from Figgins during the half-inning that had just ended. Josh Wilson replaced him at second base.

Chone Figgins returned to action on Wednesday June 23.