Yankees Rumors: New York Negotiating with Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez
By Editorial Staff
Yesterday we found out that the New York Yankees were negotiating exclusively with free agent Raul Ibanez. New York has targeted Ibanez as their designated hitter for 2012, and it looked as if the Yankees would be adding Ibanez and fellow free agent Eric Chavez. But yesterday, reports came out stating that New York might not be able to afford both players. After the A.J. Burnett deal was finalized, Yankee brass was scheduled to meet to decide if both Ibanez and Chavez could be brought on.
Last night it was reported that the Yankees did in fact have the framework of a deal in place with Ibanez. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the agreement included a base salary of approximately $1 million with incentive built in.
Before pulling the trigger on a deal with Ibanez, New York had to be sure that they were not taking on a designated hitter-type player in a Burnett trade. While discussing Burnett with other clubs, names such as Garrett Jones, Bobby Abreu and Travis Hafner came up.
Sherman also noted that Chavez and the Yankees have mutual interest in a return. Sides had started negotiating a deal similar to Ibanez’s, but nothing would be finalized until the Yankees signed their prospective DH.
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com later confirmed that Chavez and the Yankees were waiting for the Burnett deal to be made official. Still, Chavez told Hoch that there’s only a 50-50 chance that he’s coming back to the Yankees.
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