Since his retirement as a player in MLB, Raúl Ibañez has worked in numerous roles throughout the league, including some time in the Los Angeles Dodgers front office.
The Dodgers previously hired Ibañez as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in 2016, two years after his final time playing at the MLB level for the Kansas City Royals.
Ibañez was also hired by ESPN shortly after that to work as an analyst. In addition, Ibañez was also a finalist for the Tampa Bay Rays managerial job in 2014, and he has also interviewed with the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros while they were searching for a new skipper.
In 2021, Ibañez was named by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred as the league’s senior vice president of on-field operations, and he has served in that role since.
Now, Ibañez is returning to the Dodgers as their vice president of baseball development and special projects, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
The Dodgers have hired former big leaguer Raúl Ibañez as their new VP of Baseball Development and Special Projects.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) January 12, 2024
With MLB, Ibañez worked on issues related to rules, equipment and on-field technology. He also contributed to MLB’s initiatives in scouting and amateur baseball.
In his previous stint with the Dodgers, Ibañez worked with scouting, player development and all the club’s players, both at the Major and Minor League levels.
Before moving to a front office role, Ibañez had a 19-year career that was primarily spent with the Seattle Mariners but also included time with the Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, L.A. Angels and New York Yankees.
Ibañez has always been highly regarded among his peers. In a 2011 poll among MLB players by Sports Illustrated, Ibañez was voted as the second-nicest player in the league behind Hall of Famer Jim Ibáñez
Raúl Ibañez third former player hired by Dodgers
In addition to Ibañez, the Dodgers also hired former MLB pitcher Chris Archer this offseason.
Archer is expected to fill numerous roles with free-range of what he does, including scouting, writing his own reports, and making trips to the Dodgers’ African academy.
The Dodgers also brought in Nelson Cruz to their organization early this offseason as an advisor working in Latin America.
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