Out of baseball in 2013, Chone Figgins will try to resurrect his career with the Dodgers this spring.
Figgins agreed to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers Wednesday (his 36th birthday). The deal includes a non-roster invitation to spring training.
If Figgins shows he has anything left, he could provide the kind of bench versatility the Dodgers lost this winter when Skip Schumaker (the Cincinnati Reds) and Nick Punto (the Oakland A’s) left as free agents and veteran reserve Jerry Hairston Jr. retired. Figgins could provide a fallback option at second base if Cuban signee Alexander Guerrero is not ready for the transition to the major leagues or at third base if Juan Uribe backslides after resurrecting his own career last season.
But Figgins will have to reverse a downward slide that left him without a job in 2013 after the Miami Marlins cut him in March.
Figgins has played second, third, shortstop and the outfield during his 11-year career.
That career topped out in 2009 when he earned an All-Star selection and was one of the American League’s top leadoff hitters. He left the Angels after that season to sign a four-year, $36 million contract with the Seattle Mariners as a free agent.
Figgins’ career took a nose dive from there. He hit .259 his first season in Seattle but .188 and .181 in the following seasons and was relegated to the bench before being released after the 2012 season. He went to spring camp with the Marlins last year but was released before the season.
Figgins worked out for several teams (including the Dodgers) in Florida last week.
Here is the full list of non-roster invitees to Dodgers’ camp this spring:
C JC Boscan
C Griff Erickson
C Chris O’Brien
C Miguel Olivo
RHP Carlos Frias
RHP Zach Lee
RHP Sam Demel
RHP Red Patterson
RHP Ross Stripling
LHP Chris Reed
LHP Daniel Moskos
IF Chone Figgins
IF Brendan Harris
IF Clint Robinson
IF Miguel Rojas
OF Joc Pederson
