The Dodgers have hired Raúl Ibañez as their vice president of baseball development and special projects, per Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. Ibañez, 51, is no stranger to Los Angeles, playing one year during his playing career and being apart of the Dodgers front office from 2016-2020.
Ibañez is also no stranger to the game as he himself was a 19-year veteran who played in Seattle, Kansas City, Philadelphia, New York (AL), and Los Angeles (AL) from 1996-2014. Ibañez slashed .272/.335/.465 with 305 home runs over his 19 seasons in the league, finding himself as an all-star in 2009 with Philadelphia.
Ibañez was a finalist during the Rays managerial search just after his retirement, but backed out, leading the Rays to hire Kevin Cash. After a brief year off from the game, Ibañez took a position with the Dodgers as a special assistant for five seasons, then joined MLB offices as a senior vice president of on-field operations. He spent three seasons in that role.
Ibañez is now heading back to Los Angeles as a their vice president of baseball development and special projects. He will be settling into an organization that he certainly feels comfortable in and is also among other MLB veterans such as Nelson Cruz.
Over the last few seasons, Ibañez has been considered for multiple managerial positions with the Astros, Giants, Yankees, and Cubs. It should be only a matter of time before Raúl Ibañez finds himself at the helm of a clubhouse.
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