Ibañez Agrees to a One-Year Deal with Seattle Mariners

Raúl Ibañez’s baseball careeris coming full circle…

The 40-year-old Cuban-American baseball star has agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, according to The Associated Press.

Raul Ibanez II

The deal allows Ibañez to earn an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses, according to AP sources close to the negotiations.

Ibañez returns to the team he began his Major League Baseball career with from 1996-2000, then rejoined from 2004-08.

Ibañez spent the past season with the New York Yankees and became popular with fans for his late-game home runs. He’d hoped to remain with New York, but the Yankees have moved slowly during the offseason.

Ibañez hit .240 with 19 homers and 62 RBIs in 384 at-bats. He batted just .197 with five RBIs in 61 at-bats against left-handers.

Including the playoffs, Ibañez hit five home runs that tied the score for the Yankees and eight that put New York ahead, according to STATS.

Ibañez had a $1.1 million base salary last season and earned another $2.05 million in performance bonuses.

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