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12/01/2008 3:37 PM ET
Mariners offer Raul Ibanez arbitration
Mariners can still negotiate with Willie Bloomquist and Miguel Cairo
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SEATTLE -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that the club has offered free agent outfielder Raul Ibanez arbitration. Seattle chose not to offer arbitration to its other two eligible players, utility men Willie Bloomquist and Miguel Cairo.
The deadline to offer arbitration to eligible players is 9 p.m. (PST) tonight.
"With the deadline tonight, offering Raul arbitration keeps all of our options open," Zduriencik said. "We can continue our conversations with any, or all, of our free agents but, by rule, we had to offer Raul arbitration by today to guarantee we could receive draft-pick compensation if he ends up signing elsewhere."
Ibanez, 36, played all 162 games with Seattle last season. He hit .293 with 43 doubles, 23 home runs and 110 RBI. Among American League leaders, Raul ranked among the top-10 in RBI (5th), hits (186/T6th), intentional walks (11/7th), total bases (304/9th), extra-base hits (69/T10th) and outfield assists (9/T10th). Since re-signing with Seattle prior to the 2004 season, Ibanez has played in 632 of the team's 648 games.
The Mariners retain the right to negotiate with free-agent Willie Bloomquist. Bloomquist, 31, played in 71 games with Seattle last season, making 40 starts at six different positions: 2B-4, 3B-1, SS-11, LF-1, CF-16 and RF-7. He hit .279 with a double and 9 RBI. Bloomquist stole 14 bases in 17 attempts.
The Mariners retain the right to negotiate with free-agent Miguel Cairo. Cairo, 34, played in 108 games with Seattle last season, making 53 starts at four different positions: 1B-37, 2B-3, 3B-12 and DF-1. He hit .249 with 14 doubles, 2 triples and 23 RBI. Cairo stole 5 bases in 7 attempts.
Neither Bloomquist nor Cairo was a "ranking" free agent, so there is no opportunity for draft-pick compensation for those two players.
ARBITRATION PRIMER
If a player has filed for free agency, his former club must offer him arbitration by December 1.
** If the player accepts by Dec. 7, he becomes club property again, returns to the roster, and the two sides may continue to negotiate on a new contract or go to an arbitration hearing.
** If the player declines, the sides may continue to negotiate on a new contract.
** A club offering arbitration to a player who has filed for free agency retains the right to draft-pick compensation (if eligible) if he signs elsewhere. The club forfeits compensation (if eligible) if it does not offer arbitration.
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