Results tagged ‘ Raul Ibanez ’
K-Long: Ibanez “a perfect fit” for Yankees lineup
Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long knows Raul Ibanez well from their days together in the Royals organization, and after the team officially announced Ibanez’s signing on Tuesday, Long said that he is excited about the acquisition.
“He’s a perfect fit for us,” Long said. “His professionalism, the way he goes about it, he’s an RBI machine. He can hit. It’s a nice addition. What he brings to the table, he’s just a terrific human being who brings a professionalism about him that you don’t find out there every day. I’m glad we got him; glad we picked him up. He’s going to be a big help.”
The Yankees see Ibanez as their regular designated hitter against right-handed pitching, with Andruw Jones hitting mostly against lefties. Long said that he believes Ibanez has enough left in the tank to help the Yankees.
“He’s 39, he’s getting older, but there’s plenty of bat speed there,” Long said. “That’s what you look for, first and foremost. I haven’t seen him up close and personal, and we’ll see what he’s got when he gets here, but I fully expect him to be a big part of our offense.”
Ibanez on board with Yankees
The Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million contract with outfielder and designated hitter Raul Ibanez, MLB.com has confirmed.
The deal is pending a physical and can be worth up to $4 million with performance incentives.
It was clear from Brian Cashman’s comments yesterday that a deal was in the works, and that Ibanez was the frontrunner, considering how he can play some defense if needed.
Ibanez hit .245/.289/.415 with 20 home runs and 84 RBIs in 144 games for the Phillies last season. The Yankees see him as the left-handed complement to Andruw Jones, who figures to DH against left-handed pitching.
Cashman: We could trade for a DH
In a conference call with reporters discussing the Michael Pineda trade on Monday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that he’d be more inclined to trade from his pitching depth to acquire a designated hitter than to sign one on the open free agent market.
When the Yankees officially announce the signing of right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, they’ll have seven starters vying for five spots. CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Pineda, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Freddy Garcia are also in that mix.
“Maybe I use our excess pitching to find a bat,” Cashman said. “That’s a possibility. … We stretched the payroll to get [Kuroda] done, so I’m not sure what we have financially. I think we’ll look at the trade market first and foremost and see where that takes us.”
Among the DH options out there, the Yankees have reportedly heard from Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero and Raul Ibanez, but are not thought to consider any of them an urgent priority.
“I think [the free agent market] would be secondary,” Cashman said. “Not that any of those players aren’t quality, but I do think it’s probably in our interest to first and foremost see what’s available in the trade market, because we have excess starter. There should be a demand and an interest at the various levels in our starting pitching that might prove beneficial.”
If the season started today, the Yankees would likely go with Andruw Jones as their DH, though they are curious about Minor League slugger Jorge Vazquez.
Yankees have heard from Vlad, Ibanez
The Yankees have heard from the representatives for free agents Vladimir Guerrero and Raul Ibanez about their opening at designated hitter, Newsday’s Ken Davidoff reports.
Guerrero and Ibanez could join a crowd of candidates vying for the Yankees’ attention in the wake of last week’s Jesus Montero trade to the Mariners. New York is known to have reached out to the representatives for Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Carlos Pena, but it is believed that the Yankees have only between $1 and $2 million to spend on a DH.
Internally, the Yankees are touting a tandem of Andruw Jones and Minor League slugger Jorge Vazquez to tackle DH duties, while also using the spot to help rest players like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. Davidoff’s report also noted that Jack Cust’s representatives talked to the Yankees, but Cust agreed to a contract with the Astros on Tuesday.
Bryan Hoch
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