Seattle Marines sign former Yankee Raul Ibanez to one year contract – MLB News
The Seattle Mariners and Raul Ibanez have agreed to a one year $2.75 million contract, reports ESPN.com. A Major League Baseball source familiar with the situation confirmed the news to the Associated Press on Saturday night, the source further claimed.
The deal will allow the outfielder to earn an additional $1.25 million based on performances in the next season. This will not be the first time Ibanez will play for the Indians. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Indians in 1996 and then
came back for another stint from 2004-08.
“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”, said ESPN.com.
The 40 year old spent his past season with the New York Yankees where he displayed some top quality hitting skills. He became very popular among the Yankees’ fans after he gave consistent results in first half of the season. According to sources, Ibanez
wanted to stay in New York for rest of his career as he liked played for one of the most elite clubs in the American League. However, the Yankees were more interested in fixing their pitching problems before anything else and they did not make any significant
effort to retain Ibanez for the next season.
Overall, Ibanez hit .240 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI’s in 384 at bats. His ability to hit the ball long way in right field made him an automatic selection at that position at Yankee Stadium. However, things will be slightly different for him at Progressive
Field in Cleveland, Ohio. It will be interesting to see if he can post his best season before he calls it a career.
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