Another update: via Susan Slusser, we learn that Oakland is listed on Figgins' limited no-trade clause, and he hasn't yet been asked to waive it. I do not think that would be much of an obstacle, but I'm not Chone Figgins. If I were Chone Figgins, this blog would be a spectacular achievement.
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Update: Buster Olney hints that a third team "could" be involved, and that it is "perhaps" the Toronto Blue Jays. That doesn't really tell us much of anything, but the Blue Jays do indeed have a need at third base, so it's possible that a Figgins trade involving Kouzmanoff wouldn't bring him to Seattle.
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My three favorite PG-rated things to wake up to on a cold Friday morning: sunshine pouring through the shut blinds, the smell of a fresh pot of coffee, and a hot sexy Chone Figgins trade rumor.
A source with knowledge of the situation said the A's are trying to trade for Seattle infielder Chone Figgins, and that current A's third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and perhaps a pitcher could be shipped to the Mariners in return.
In case you saw that and came away suspicious, Ken Rosenthal has issued a confirmation. It seems the A's are indeed looking to make one more splash, albeit a tiny splash, like when you skip rocks. We know from the offer they made to Adrian Beltre that they have the money and desire, and their sights are now apparently set on a certain special someone.
Kevin Kouzmanoff is a handy, average third baseman with two more years of team control. "A pitcher" could be good, or bad, or somewhere in between. But, obviously, the main draw here is dealing Figgins, who's due $26 million over the next three years. Figgins made sense for this team a year ago. Now he's an expensive 33-year-old on a non-playoff team coming off a disappointing season. I don't hate Chone Figgins and I think he stands to be quite a bit better in 2011, but if by any chance the M's have an opportunity to trade him and most or all of his salary, I think that opportunity should be seized. I don't see the upside in keeping him around.
Stay tuned. There's no guarantee that Figgins leaves for Oakland, but there's a chance. And if Figgins leaves for Oakland, it would only make sense for Kouzmanoff to come back, since the A's would have too many third basemen and the M's would have too few. So, as Figgins would continue his tour of the AL West, Kouzmanoff would continue his tour of home stadiums that are absolutely miserable fits for his skillset. Somebody up there really hates Kevin Kouzmanoff.