Raul Ibanez to sign with Mariners

The Seattle Mariners and Raul Ibanez have agreed to a deal, according to Ken Rosenthal. This will be Ibanez' third stint with the Mariners, as he played in Seattle from 1996-2000 and again from 2004-2008. Last season he hit .240/.308/.453 with 19 home runs as a member of the New York Yankees.

Ibanez, 40, is a career .278/.340/.470 hitter with 271 home runs in his 17 major league seasons. Aside from the Mariners and Yankees, he has spent time with the Royals and Phillies. His best season came in 2009, when he hit .272/.347/.552 with 34 home runs as a Phillie.

Ibanez hit three home runs during the postseason last year, including a two memorable ones in ALDS Game 3 against the Baltimore Orioles. With the Yankees trailing 2-1, Ibanez was called upon to pinch-hit for Jim Johnson and hit a game-tying home run. In the bottom of the 12th, Ibanez hit another home run to win the game. He repeated the heroics in Game 1 of the ALCS, hitting a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth.

The Mariners have also added Kendrys Morales this week as they are trying to improve their offense.