According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, it appears unlikely that the Mariners will bring back free agent outfielder and DH Raul Ibanez for another season. Stark lists the Orioles, Braves, and Yankees as teams that have indicated interest in the 41-year-old's services. Given his poor defense, the American League seems like a much better fit for Ibanez as he can serve as a designated hitter. He wrapped up 2013 with 29 home runs and a .793 OPS in just under 500 plate appearances.

Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports that the Orioles are not in on Raul Ibanez. This is contrary to a report over the weekend. The 41-year-old Ibanez socked 29 homers this past season to the Mariners, but he's essentially a DH at this point in his career.

Mariners general manager Jeff Zduriencik admitted Monday that re-signing free agent outfielder Raul Ibanez is not a high priority at the moment. The 41-year-old wants to play one more season. "We're very fond of Raul," Zduriencik said. "We have to sift through some things at these meetings, primarily because we are so left-handed. As much as he and I would like to get something done, I think we need a little more time to figure out how we're going to allocate and what opportunities present themselves here." Ibanez hit 29 homers last season and can still square up right-handed pitching. We expect him to be in a big league camp next spring.

According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Raul Ibanez. The 41-year-old would most certainly be a better fit as a designated hitter in the American League, but the Rockies believe that he could be used as an effective option against right-handed pitching.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Rockies, Braves, Mariners, Rangers, Yankees, among others, are interest in Raul Ibanez. Even at 41, Ibanez still has some value as a designated hitter against right-handed pitching, but apparently some National League clubs might even consider him as an outfielder. Sherman expects Ibanez to pick his new club sometime during the Winter Meetings.

George A. King III and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post report that the Yankees are interested in signing Raul Ibanez to be their designated hitter against right-handers. Ibanez fared pretty well against right-handed pitching in 2012 for the Yankees, and King and Davidoff say that "some voices within the organization believe it was a mistake" to let him leave after the season. He went on to hit 29 homers in 2013 for the Mariners, which should allow him to cash in on a reasonably-sized one-year pact for 2014 even though he'll turn 42 during the season.

Raul Ibanez hit his 29th homer of 2013 and 300th career homer Saturday versus the Angels. The 29 homers tied Ted Williams for the most ever for a 41-year-old. He's just five homers shy of his career, despite having only 436 at-bats this season. He's topped 600 at-bats four times in his career, but he's never posted such a strong home run rate before.

Raul Ibanez plans to return for another season in 2014. Ibanez is 41, but you can hardly blame him for wanting to continue his career given that he's slugged 27 homers this season. "Yeah, I want to play another year," Ibanez said prior to Tuesday's game with the Tigers. "It's not something I really dwell upon. It's not something I mull over and lose sleep over because I'm in the moment right now. But yeah, if you asked me right now, I definitely want to play another year." Ibanez will be a free agent this winter after making $2.75 million this season.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge won't commit to a regular left fielder. Raul Ibanez is the sentimental favorite, but he's 41 and not a part of Seattle's long-term plans. Michael Saunders has been a disappointment, but, at 26, is a cog of the future. "I have a group over here that says I should play him more and I have a group over there saying I should play him less because of the younger kids," Wedge said of Ibanez. "For me, it's all about the respect that he's earned. It is about the length of the season. I'm trying to walk that line to play him as much as I can, but also understand it's important to get the young kids in as much as we can too."

Raul Ibanez went 2-for-4 and homered for the Mariners' lone run Thursday against the Rays. The homer was Ibanez's 25th, but it was is first since he hit two on July 12. He should be good for a few more blasts the rest of the way, but it seems unlikely that he'll contribute much in mixed leagues.