Raul Ibanez turned down the Mariners arbitration offer on Sunday night and will be seeking a long term deal on the free agent market. Ibanez had until 9 p.m. PT to notify Major League Baseball whether he would accept arbitration, guaranteeing himself a substantial raise for one season.
Mariners management has said that there is still a possibility of Ibanez returning to the team for the 09 season, it just depends what kind of money is seeking on the free agent market. If Ibanez signs with another organization, the Mariners would receive two Draft choices in next June’s First-Year Player Draft.
Stay tuned to the blog this week as we will be updating with any breaking news from the Winter meetings in Las Vegas.
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