Larry LaRue has the scoop.  Raul Ibanez will decline arbitration today.

This was expected, but Buster Olney gave us all a bit of a scare on Friday.

Raul will be missed by most Mariner fans.  He was an absolute class act, and someone that any team would be lucky to have as a clubhouse/community leader.  Farewell, friend.

The Seattle Mariners will now officially be receiving two extra draft picks when Raul signs elsewhere, which is great for the future of this team.

Beyond known suitors (Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets), LaRue mentions the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees as teams in pursuit, as well as “a half-dozen other teams.”

Of these teams mentioned, the Mets and Yankees would give Seattle the best draft slot initially.  The only problem is that both teams are likely to sign other Type-A free agents that rank higher than Raul, bumping Seattle’s draft pick to the second round.

It would greatly benefit Seattle if the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins and/or Toronto Blue Jays would throw their names back into the Ibanez hat.  All three have been connected to Raul this offseason, and represent the 17th, 18th and 20th picks in the draft, which is as good as Seattle could get considering the first 16 picks are protected.