Ibanez parted ways after leaving parting message

It turns out Raul Ibanez spent his final weeks in a Mariners uniform preparing others for his eventual departure.

Fresh from signing a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies this week, the outfielder talked Thursday about his parting words for younger teammates as last season wound down. Ibanez recalled speaking on different occasions with Felix Hernandez, Jose Lopez and Yuniesky Betancourt, reminding them that he was a pending free agent and that third baseman Adrian Beltre will be, as well, next year.

"I told them, 'Listen, some of us veteran guys might not be here in a year or two. There's no reason you can't pull someone aside now and speak to them if you see they aren't doing things the right way.'

"I mean, I told them, 'You're still young, but you're not that young. You're not still a bunch of kids wearing the uniform for the first time. You've all been in the big leagues for a while and you have to be conscious that people are watching you. And if you start acting a certain way, they're going to start acting another way, too.' "

Ibanez believes Hernandez "works hard and is naturally competitive" and would make a natural clubhouse leader in a few years. Same with catcher Jeff Clement, who he thinks can be looked up to by other players once he starts producing.

Though he's no longer with the Mariners, Ibanez has made shortstop Betancourt a pet project of sorts. They've started training together three days a week at a Miami-area athletic performance clinic Ibanez has frequented for years. Ibanez trains on his own at a different location another two days per week.

One of the trainers, Ibanez said, works with several NFL draft prospects who are "legitimate 4.3 [40 yard] speed guys" and sees promise in the quickness shown by Betancourt.

"He's been impressed with Yuni at times," Ibanez said. "So, it's in there. He just has to show it. I told him, 'I expect big things out of you next year.' "

Ibanez is expecting big things of himself in 2009. The main reason he joined the Phillies for what he said was "less than others were offering" was to be part of a championship-caliber club.

"The Mariners, they weren't sure what direction they were headed in," he said. "Which is to be expected, given their situation. They deserve a winner in Seattle and I hope they're successful in what they try to do."

There had been talk the Mariners might explore a deal beyond the one-year arbitration offer made by the club.

"I wouldn't say that it was serious," Ibanez said.

On a personal note, Ibanez has read criticisms that he's a defensive liability and that the Phillies overpaid to get him. He believes some of the modern defensive metrics cited by his critics are unreliable and don't take into account player positioning in the field, ballpark factors or the force and angle at which balls are coming off bats.

"Those are things that I'm going to have to continue to battle throughout my career," he said of the perception he can't play defense. "But if you go around the game, and you ask the players, you ask quality major-league scouts, you ask managers, they'll tell you I'm the type of player they want on their team."

Ibanez says he'll remember on-field Seattle moments like Carlos Guillen's walkoff bunt single that clinched the 2000 division series against Chicago, and Ichiro breaking George Sisler's hits record four years later. But most of all, he added, it's the off-field moments and the people he and his family met.

He singled out team president Chuck Armstrong as "a great guy, who cares deeply about baseball in Seattle and the city of Seattle. He really wants to see this thing turned around and I hope it happens for him."

Ibanez said he and his family are grateful to Mariners fans.

"The people embraced us," he said. "Not just as players, but as people. And that, believe me, makes a difference and is something I'll never forget."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com