Yankees playoff hero Raul Ibanez signs one-year pact with Seattle Mariners
The Yankees’ miracle man at the end of last season, and the man who famously pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez, is taking his bat back to Seattle.
Raul Ibanez, 40, reportedly agreed with the Mariners on a one-year deal Saturday. It will be his third stint with Seattle, where he started his career in 1996.
Ibanez was one of the few players Yankee fans embraced at the end of last season, rescuing the Bombers with dramatic home runs against the A’s and Red Sox to help them win the AL East.
Then, in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Orioles, Joe Girardi famously sent Ibanez to the plate for the slumping Rodriguez. Ibanez responded with a game-tying home run.
“Sometimes you’ve got to do what your gut tells you, and my gut told me to make the move,” Girardi said then.
If that wasn’t enough to vault Ibanez into Yankee lore, he drilled another home run to win that game in the 12th inning. Then, in Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit, Ibanez hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run ninth-inning rally that tied the game. The Yankees eventually lost that game in 12 and were swept in the series.
Ibanez became the only player in baseball history to hit three home runs in the ninth inning or later in a single postseason.
“I loved it, I really loved my experience here,” Ibanez said after the season.
But while the Yankees showed some interest in bringing back Ibanez, the Mariners landed the left-hand hitter who has played in 17 seasons in the majors.
Ibanez hit .240 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI in 384 at-bats for the Yankees, who are looking for a right-hand hitting outfielder.
That market got a lot thinner on Saturday when Cody Ross agreed to a three-year deal for a reported $26 million with the Diamondbacks.
“We weren’t in on Cody Ross,” Cashman told the Daily News after word of the deal emergted.
The outfielder-starved Mets also passed on Ross based on the money he was seeking.
Ross, who turns 32 on Sunday, hit .267 with 22 homers and 81 RBI in 130 games with the Red Sox last season, will join a crowded outfield in Arizona that includes Justin Upton, Jason Kubel and Gerardo Parra.
The Diamondbacks may try to move one of those outfielders, with the lefty-hitting Kubel perhaps the most likely to go. But Cashman wouldn’t have any interest in Kubel, who hit 30 homers last season.
“We have an entirely left-handed hitting outfield right now,” Cashman said, referring to Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and the recently re-signed Ichiro Suzuki. “We’re looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder. We’re not in the market for a left-handed hitting outfielder.”
Texas, which lost Josh Hamilton to the Angels, could be a potential trade target for Kubel. The Rangers have also shown interest in switch-hitting Nick Swisher, whom the Yankees have no plans to bring back.
With Ross’ bat now off the board, it leaves Scott Hairston as the last quality right-handed bat on the free agent market. Hairston hit .263 with the Mets last season, with 20 homers and 57 RBI in 134 games. Hairston is said to be looking for a multi-year deal, something the Yankees may not be willing to offer.
Cashman is prepared to wait until after the holidays to fill his needs. “All I’ll tell you is we’re looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder,” Cashman said. “It may take a while, who knows?”
As for the Mets, they have explored the idea of bringing back Hairston, who made $1.1 million last season. But it’s not a buyer’s market.
Journeyman Jonny Gomes signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Red Sox and the Yankees and the Braves have been linked to talks with Hairston, too.
“There is some payroll flexibility so the right outfielder at the right price is something that could work,” a baseball source said about the Mets.
