THE MARINERS MAKE RAUL IBANEZ OFFICIAL

It's done, read HERE.  I can only assume now that over the next few days, we will hear the "real" story about why Raul Ibanez decided not to stick around, about why the Yankees never made an official offer to Raul and what truly swayed Raul to go back to Seattle.  Any way you slice it, we all kind of understand what happened here. So all it will do will annoy us as Yankee fans to hear the "real" story, but I'd like to hear it from Raul himself any way.  I have tremendous respect for the guy and clearly so does he, which is why he most likely didn't want to stick around and "wait" any longer. He's got pride for himself and didn't want to wait around for nothing.  In the end, he has a job, he's wanted by the Mariners and the Yankees passed once again. 

The Ibanez deal is a 1 year contract worth $2.75 million. There is about $1.25 million in performance bonuses.  This will be Raul's third stint in Seattle.

(In Photo: Then Yankee, DJ Mitchell)
Ironically, to get Ibanez on the 40 man roster, the Mariners had to designate someone for assignment.  That someone was DJ Mitchell, a former Yankee.

Now we move on as Yankee fans... that's all we can do.

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