Shortly after their walk-off win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, the Toronto Blue Jays swapped a pair of struggling relievers with the Seattle Mariners, acquiring veteran Joaquin Benoit in exchange for Drew Storen and cash considerations.
The Blue Jays were in need of another late-inning relief option, even with the possibility of Aaron Sanchez moving to a bullpen role later in the season, so the club is taking a flier on Benoit rebounding in a new environment, similar to the production Toronto has received from veteran Jason Grilli after a rough stretch with the Atlanta Braves.
Here’s everything you need to know about Benoit:
Name: Joaquin Benoit
Position: Relief pitcher
Throws: Right
Age: 39
From: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 250 lbs.
Contract status: Free agent after 2016 season
What does he provide at this stage?
It’s a fair question to ask, considering Benoit registered a lousy 5.18 ERA in 24.1 innings with the Mariners this season and was valued at the same level as Drew Storen, who was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays over the weekend.
However, Benoit has a better track record over his career and has far more experience pitching in the American League. The 39-year-old still has relatively good velocity (which has remained steady from last season) with a mid-90s fastball and he averaged over a strikeout per inning this year. He also features a slider and a change-up.
Benoit’s numbers were especially strange with the Mariners, considering Safeco Field is one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in all of baseball, as he recorded a 9.64 ERA in Seattle while putting up a 2.40 ERA on the road with better numbers in terms of strikeouts, walks and home runs allowed.
Overall, his walk rate and increased home run rate are definitely concerning but the Blue Jays are banking on his previous production. Prior to 2016, Benoit was an incredibly reliable late-inning reliever for six straight seasons with the Padres, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays. Benoit racked up 24 saves with a stellar 2.01 ERA as the closer on a 93-win Tigers team in 2013 and had a monster 2010 contract year with the Rays in which he recorded a stunning 1.34 ERA in 60 innings. As recently as last year, Benoit racked up 63 strikeouts in 65.1 innings and finished with a 2.34 ERA.
Benoit, who was teammates with newly acquired outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. last year with San Diego, will wear No. 53 with the Blue Jays while reliever Bo Schultz was optioned Wednesday to make room on the 25-man roster.
He is a short-term addition as Benoit is in the final year of his contract (earning $8 million this season) and will be a free agent after the 2016 season.
Has some big-game experience
Despite Benoit’s struggles in 2016, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Tuesday he envisions the right-hander taking on a late-inning role during the team’s stretch run, similar to LaTroy Hawkins’ job in 2015. One reason for that could be his previous post-season experience — Benoit appeared in the playoffs in four straight seasons with the Rays and Tigers from 2010-13.
“He’s a veteran guy, he’s still got a good arm,” Gibbons said after Toronto’s win on Tuesday. “This time of year, with some of the struggles we’ve had down there, throw a veteran in there that knows what he’s doing and knows how to survive, that kind of thing.”
The Dominican pitched in several late-inning situations during Detroit’s run to the World Series in 2012 and in total recorded a 2.82 ERA with 27 strikeouts, five walks, and three home runs allowed in 22.1 career post-season innings.
Tigers fans might remember Benoit for blowing a key save, up 5-1, in Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox when he allowed an eighth-inning grand slam to David Ortiz.
Where did he come from?
Benoit joined the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent in 1996. He spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career with Texas, beginning his tenure as a starting pitcher before he was used exclusively out of the bullpen in 2006. He missed all of 2009 after experiencing some arm issues before surfacing again with the Rays the following season.
Oddly enough, Benoit is owner of the major-league record for recording the longest save in history, according to Baseball Reference, as he pitched seven innings in relief of Todd Van Poppel and nearly completely a combined no-hitter in a Rangers’ victory in September 2002.
Overall, Benoit has appeared in 994.2 career innings at the MLB level with a 3.87 ERA.
