Nick Laham / Getty Images

Chone Figgins drew a career-best 101 walks in 2009, as he does here against the Yankees during the ALCS.

Hideki Matsui
He was World Series MVP, yet I don’t think there will be a whole lot of attention focused on Matsui this offseason. He just came off a healthy season, but I think teams will be worried about his past leg problems and other injuries, and he is also limited in that he is primarily a DH at this point in his career.

He has a very steady bat, but I think he has also taken advantage of playing in a tremendous lineup with plenty of protection around him. If he goes somewhere else, he needs to go somewhere where the lineup will protect him, as I think he needs that to be really successful.

There has been talk of Matsui joining his countryman Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle, but that seems unlikely. The Mariners have already re-signed a DH in Ken Griffey Jr., and are trying to bring back Russell Branyan to be a 1B/DH as well. There have also been reports that Ichiro and Matsui aren’t terribly fond of each other, which if true, would rule out Seattle.

One thing in his favor, however, is that he should come relatively cheaply, and since he is not a Type A or B free agent, whatever team signs him would not have to give up any compensation.

Marlon Byrd
Byrd finally got a chance to play last year and really blossomed, hitting .283 with 20 home runs and 89 RBIs. He’s another player like Scutaro who shows more and more talent the more he plays. He has also shown flashes that he can be a very good center fielder.

Philadelphia has shown some interest, and he could also return to the Rangers, where they have a promising young nucleus. The problem in Texas is with their ownership issues, which are going to affect the purse strings this offseason.

If the Cubs eat a bunch of Milton Bradley’s salary, they could probably convince the Rangers to take him off their hands in a trade. Then Chicago could sign Byrd. I’m sure Cubs fans would be happy with that.

Placido Polanco
Polanco is a good solid second baseman who has a knack for getting the bat on the ball and getting on base. He doesn’t make a lot of errors and he does the little things that help a team win.

He’s at an age where he’d probably like to play on a team that has a good chance to make the playoffs. So why has he been linked to the Diamondbacks? Arizona seems to be going the opposite direction, and I can’t see Polanco wanting to play with a bunch of young kids.

Perhaps a place like Tampa Bay would make more sense. Ben Zobrist manned second base well last season, but he can play all over the field, and could return to the outfield. And Polanco would make a nice combination up the middle with Jason Bartlett.

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