Raul Ibanez signs with the Seattle Mariners

After a post season full of dramatic home runs Raul Ibanez will not be re-signing with the New York Yankees. Instead he has signed with the seattle Mariners.

This may seem like a surprise at first but Ibanez, 41, began his career in Seattle in 1996. Now he might end his career where it began. The circle of baseball life.

The New York Times reports that the deal is worth $2.75 million for one year.

It’s unclear where Ibanez will play for the Mariners. The smart guess would have him as Seattle’s designated hitter. However, last year with the Yankees played 90 games in the outfield. In other words, it’s anybody’s guess.

Raul Ibanez is a solid signing for the Mariners, a team looking to bounce back from an 87 loss season. A quick look at his ESPN statistics page shows that he is a career .278 hitter with a career .340 on base percentage and 271 career home runs.

The good news for Seattle is while age wears on most players Ibanez appears to be largely untouched. While his batting average has dropped the last two years he still hit 19 home runs and 20 home runs in those years. Moreover, he is only one year removed from an 84 RBI season.

The timing of this news could not be worse for the Yankees who also recently lost Nick Swisher to the Cleveland Indians.

Now the reigning kings of the American League East will try and get back to the playoffs missing two critical pieces from their 2012 run.

Here is a video of Raul Ibanez’s 2012 highlights:

http://youtu.be/ZJB8YGLpYi8

Do you think signing Raul Ibanez will help the Seattle Mariners get to the playoffs in 2013?