Ichiro Made Concessions Before Joining Yankees

Before agreeing to acquire the outfielder, the Yankees provided a list of conditions to Ichiro Suzuki.

New York asked the former AL MVP to switch positions, hit at the bottom of the lineup and possibly sit against left-handed pitching.

"He was fully educated on all our requirements," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "One by one, every box got ticked off."

Ichiro had requested a trade from the last-place Mariners, the only big league team he had ever played for after coming to the United States from Japan as a 27-year-old in 2001.

The Yankees were not sure Ichiro would be willing to make all the adjustments they required.

Via Wallace Matthews/ESPN.com

New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Misc Rumor

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