It looks like the Yankees have found their chosen designated hitter.
The team came to an agreement with 16-year veteran Raul Ibanez on a one-year, $1.1 million deal, according to ESPN. Reportedly the deal includes incentives that could make the deal worth up to $4 million.
The deal is still pending a physical.
Ibanez, 39, likely fills the role the Yankees had been looking for at DH. Though it is also likely that aging stars Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter will see some time at the position.
Ibanez played for the Phillies last season, his third career team. He came up with Seattle in the late 1990s, but from 1996 to 2000 was only a part-time player. It was when he signed as a free agent in Kansas City in 2001 that he got his chance to be an everyday player.
In three years with the Royals he batted .291 with 55 homers and 247 runs batted in. He went back to the Mariners on a free agent deal in 2004 and established himself as one of the more underrated players in the game.
He signed with the Phillies in 2009 and exploded for a 34-homer season. But over the last two years his age and injuries appear to have caught up with him.
He batted just .245 with a .289 on-base percentage last year, both far and away the lowest of his career. He did finish with 20 home runs and 84 RBI though.
With him removed from the outfield on a daily basis, the Yankees hope he’ll provide a left-handed power bat.
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