By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Nineteen-year Major League veteran outfielder Raúl Ibañez could not have been more of a fan favorite than he was during his three-season stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, from 2009 to 2011.
Fast-forward seven years later, and the same can be said for the 46-year-old throughout Major League Baseball as the Los Angeles Dodgers' special assistant to general manager Farhan Zaidi. So much so, Ibañez "turned down" opportunities to become a a MLB manager, according to Fancred's Jon Heyman. Update, 11/16: One of those opportunities was with the Texas Rangers, per Heyman.
It is not clear which teams offered Ibañez the promotion. The Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays all decided to move on from their previous manager after the 2018 season. Ibañez was originally drafted by the Rangers in the 54th round of the 1991 amateur draft, before instead being selected in the 36th round of the 1992 draft by the Seattle Mariners. Ibañez played 57 games with the Angels in 2014.
On Oct. 14, Heyman reported that Ibañez is "still happy" amid his third season within the Dodgers front office role. The 2009 National League All-Star interviewed for the Tampa Bay Rays managerial position after Joe Maddon left in 2014, however he withdrew from consideration due to "family concerns," according to the Los Angeles Times.
In January 2016, Ibañez liked a tweet mentioning to him that he would make a good manager someday. With his son set to graduate from high school in a couple of years, however, Heyman speculates Ibañez "may be ready to go into the dugout," and that he will manage "as soon as he wants" since he has "that kind of reputation."
Managerial speculation aside, Ibañez and the Dodgers are amid a Fall Classic against the Boston Red Sox. Boston leads the series entering Game 3 on Friday, two games to zero.
