AP: Ibanez, Mariners agree to $2.75 million deal
NEW YORK (AP) — Raul Ibanez and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday night.
The deal allows Ibanez to earn an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.
Ibanez returns to the team he began his big league career with from 1996-00, then rejoined from 2004-08.
Now 40, Ibanez spent the past season with the New York Yankees and became popular with fans for his late-game home runs. He had hoped to remain with New York, but the Yankees have moved slowly during the offseason.
Ibanez hit .240 with 19 homers and 62 RBIs in 384 at-bats, his pull swing making him a natural for the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. He batted just .197 with five RBIs in 61 at-bats against left-handers.
Including the playoffs, Ibanez hit five home runs that tied the score for the Yankees and eight that put New York ahead, according to STATS. He homered twice after entering as a pinch hitter on Sept. 22 in a 10-9, 14-inning win over Oakland. And with New York fighting for the AL East title, he delivered a tying, pinch-hit homer against Boston in the ninth on Oct. 2 and then singled in the winning run in the 12th.
Then in Game 3 of the division series against Baltimore, he became the first player in major league history to homer twice in a postseason game he didn't start. He pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning and hit a tying home run, then hit a winning shot in the 12th.
Three days later his two-run homer in a four-run ninth inning tied the AL championship series opener against Detroit, a game the Yankees lost 6-4 in 12 innings as the Tigers started their way to a four-game sweep.
Ibanez had a $1.1 million base salary last season and earned another $2.05 million in performance bonuses.
He joins a Seattle team that added power-hitting Kendrys Morales earlier in the week in a trade that sent left-hander Jason Vargas to the Los Angeles Angels. Former Yankees prospect Jesus Montero started 77 games at designated hitter last season for the Mariners and 55 behind the plate, so Ibanez's acquisition by the Mariners could make catcher John Jaso expendable. Jaso made 39 starts behind the plate and 44 at DH.
In 17 major league seasons that also included time with Kansas City (2001-03) and Philadelphia (2009-11), Ibanez has a .278 career average with 271 home runs and 1,116 RBIs.
With Ichiro Suzuki likely to see most of his time in a corner outfield spot because New York hasn't attempted to re-sign Nick Swisher, Ibanez's departure leaves the Yankees searching for a left-handed bat for a part-time designated hitter role. New York's priority before filling that spot appears to be a right-handed bat because Andruw Jones left for Rakuten in Japan after a subpar season and all three starting outfielders — Suzuki, Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner — are left-handed hitters.
Ibanez's deal was negotiated by agents Sam and Seth Levinson.
The deal allows Ibanez to earn an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.
Ibanez returns to the team he began his big league career with from 1996-00, then rejoined from 2004-08.
Now 40, Ibanez spent the past season with the New York Yankees and became popular with fans for his late-game home runs. He had hoped to remain with New York, but the Yankees have moved slowly during the offseason.
Ibanez hit .240 with 19 homers and 62 RBIs in 384 at-bats, his pull swing making him a natural for the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. He batted just .197 with five RBIs in 61 at-bats against left-handers.
Including the playoffs, Ibanez hit five home runs that tied the score for the Yankees and eight that put New York ahead, according to STATS. He homered twice after entering as a pinch hitter on Sept. 22 in a 10-9, 14-inning win over Oakland. And with New York fighting for the AL East title, he delivered a tying, pinch-hit homer against Boston in the ninth on Oct. 2 and then singled in the winning run in the 12th.
Then in Game 3 of the division series against Baltimore, he became the first player in major league history to homer twice in a postseason game he didn't start. He pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning and hit a tying home run, then hit a winning shot in the 12th.
Three days later his two-run homer in a four-run ninth inning tied the AL championship series opener against Detroit, a game the Yankees lost 6-4 in 12 innings as the Tigers started their way to a four-game sweep.
Ibanez had a $1.1 million base salary last season and earned another $2.05 million in performance bonuses.
He joins a Seattle team that added power-hitting Kendrys Morales earlier in the week in a trade that sent left-hander Jason Vargas to the Los Angeles Angels. Former Yankees prospect Jesus Montero started 77 games at designated hitter last season for the Mariners and 55 behind the plate, so Ibanez's acquisition by the Mariners could make catcher John Jaso expendable. Jaso made 39 starts behind the plate and 44 at DH.
In 17 major league seasons that also included time with Kansas City (2001-03) and Philadelphia (2009-11), Ibanez has a .278 career average with 271 home runs and 1,116 RBIs.
With Ichiro Suzuki likely to see most of his time in a corner outfield spot because New York hasn't attempted to re-sign Nick Swisher, Ibanez's departure leaves the Yankees searching for a left-handed bat for a part-time designated hitter role. New York's priority before filling that spot appears to be a right-handed bat because Andruw Jones left for Rakuten in Japan after a subpar season and all three starting outfielders — Suzuki, Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner — are left-handed hitters.
Ibanez's deal was negotiated by agents Sam and Seth Levinson.
No doubt he's been a fan favorite .but I thought they were mostly wanting to go with a youth movement? I question the kind of money that they gave a guy who's going to retire in the next few years! Seattle millionaires and billionaires, please step up and by this team. Get them out of the hands of "hands off" Japanese ownership before they move them out of here and implode Safeco ! ;(
RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL! I think this is a great move! He may be near the end of his career but he can still hit and he'll be great in the clubhouse. And he's a damn nice guy!
Signing a 40-year-old journeyman to a multimillion-dollar contract...
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:Introducing your 2013 Seattle Mariners!"
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Don't be a sucker and pay good money to watch this team.
I don't think there's a MLB manager out there that would not love to have about a half dozen Rauls on his team. The guy is completely and totally reliable and professional. I don't think he has ever played a game where he was not a threat on either offense or defense.  You could not say that about Griffey in his last two years.  Â
His batting average will go down after he puts on the Mariners uniform.
Others will no doubt discuss the strategic advantages or disadvantages of re-signing Raul Ibanez, but here is a 100% emotional response: HURRAY!!!!! How wonderful to have you back, RaUUUUUUUUUUUL!
Sorry, but this is just weird.
Not again....Face palm
As much as we are all tired of losing, this isn't the year to open up the pocket books. There were no free agents worth spending pay roll on. We would just end up in another situation like Figgy and be handcuffed with overplayed players.
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I am personally looking forward to watching Raul play his 3rd stint as a Mariner. He is a great guy to have in the club house, a great guy in the community and can be one heck of a clutch hitter. He is truly one of the Mariner greats!
 @worm dog Right on worm dog! It's not acquiring Raul again that shows management is brain dead; it's that they ever let him go in the first place! How sad that Raul has not played his whole 16 years with the M's.  40 years old? Hell, he'll be hitting clutch homers when he's 50!!
baseball should be abolished, it's too slow and too long of a season. it's almost as bad as golf
 @Crook Ofraud  It's the best team sport there is, yeah get rid of all the teams,wow, just wow!
 @Crook Ofraud You sir, are an idiot.
@Crook Ofraud Wow. Must be a bar-fight, er, UFC fan....
The idiots running the Mariners organization seem to think that since they're bringing in less money, that they'll simply spend less money. See, in pro sports, if you want to increase ticket sales and revenue, then you need to spend more money. The whole point in building safeco field was to bring in more fans and money. Now we're no better than the endless crappy teams that the 80's produced.11 years since our last playoff appearance. Pathetic.
 @Sanctuary  That's not just pro sports. That's any successful business, it takes money, risk taking to make it.
 @Sanctuary and who would you sign then?
 @worm dog  @Sanctuary To be fair they've brought in big bats. And "big" arms. They come in and stink up the place. Or produce a little and falter . The apathy of the average fan. And hands off ownership hasn't helped much either. Ichiro was a "good show" for awhile. But I don't think his heart was ever here.
 @worm dog Sign someone not 40 and/or washed up. Actually go after Josh Hamilton or Prince Fielder (last year).
 @Sanctuary  @worm dog The Marienrs need a Ted Turner type owner. The only thing I don't like about Ted Turner now. is He built a winner. And when they finally won it all, he walked away. They had a few more years of winning, but not winning it all. Now, I'm afraid they're going to be in the same boat as the Mariners, hands off owners.
 @Sanctuary They did, neither wanted to come here.
 @worm dog Exactly! M's have money to spend, and there isn't anyone worth spending it on.  Would the winers have been happy if we spent 60 million for Swisher? Its a young team, and one of our glaring problems last year was no mentors in the clubhouse.  Raul can fill that roll.
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 @Rockberry But hey...what about Jaime Moyer? And he's 50!!!
Holy crap, can we sign someone who's not washed up? What's with all these short-term fixes that are primarily based on luck. Kendry Morales is great and had a decent season last year with the potential for even better but Bonderman and Jason Bay look pretty over the hill.