Results tagged ‘ Joaquin Benoit ’

Roundup: The Tigers have arrived to the GM Meetings

It was the Marlins who staked their claim in Orlando on Tuesday, when they traded Dan Uggla to the Braves and agreed on a three-year contract with John Buck. Wednesday is the day of the Tigers, apparently. The club agreed on a three-year, $16.5 million contract with setup man Joaquin Benoit, according to reports. Also, Detroit is said to be going after power-hitting lefty outfielder/first baseman/potential designated hitter Adam Dunn.
SI.com first reported the two sides were quickly coming together on a
deal, but ESPN.com followed up by saying nothing is imminent just yet.

Here’s more from the second full day of the General Managers Meetings …

* Diamondbacks new general manager Kevin Towers is apparently kicking the tires on a potential trade of franchise player Justin Upton.
The Red Sox, according to USA Today, are said to be the ideal
candidate, but the New York Post wrote that the Marlins and Rays — and
perhaps the Yankees — are prime candidates.

* White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times that he would’ve let manager Ozzie Guillen go
to the Marlins if they would’ve given up the specific high-level player
he sought. Reinsdorf didn’t say who, but he denied it was Mike Stanton.

* In need of a lefty bat, the White Sox have engaged in talks with Hideki Matsui,
according to SI.com. Matsui expressed interest in a return to the
Angels, but they’d like to keep DH a revolving door with so many
veterans in their lineup. 

* Six to eight teams have spoken to free-agent starter Carl Pavano, according to The Washington Post, which names the Nationals as one of them. The Marlins, a source told MLB.com, are another.

* The Athletics traded speedy outfielder Rajai Davis to the Blue Jays in exchange for Minor Leaguers Trystan Magnuson and Daniel Farquhar, the club announced. Toronto also released right-hander Shawn Hill.

* The Rockies have expressed interest in A’s third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, according to The Denver Post, which added that Jose Lopez, Jorge Cantu and Ty Wigginton are also on the club’s radar.

* Brandon Webb is also reportedly drawing interest. According to
ESPN.com, the Dodgers, Pirates, Twins and Rangers have shown interest in
the right-hander.

* Seven to eight teams are reportedly interested in Jorge de la Rosa,
who is one of the top free-agent starters once you get past Cliff Lee.
The Rockies are a team that would like to keep him, but not if he gets an offer eclipsing four years.

– Alden Gonzalez

Tigers reportedly near deal with Benoit

The Tigers had interest in Joaquin Benoit last year coming off surgery before he emerged as one of baseball’s best comeback stories. Now that he has proven himself healthy, he could soon be setting up in Detroit.

Benoit and the Tigers are nearing an agreement on a multi-year deal, according to FOXSports.com. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported the terms as three years and $16.5 million. A source confirmed interest between the two, but the Tigers would not comment on any contract.

While Detroit’s interest in upgrading its offense has been long-reported, some in the organization pegged relief help as just as big of a need. Among those was manager Jim Leyland, who juggled arms last year in a bullpen depleted by injuries and inexperience as the season wore on.

Phil Coke ended up handling setup duties for the majority of the season, but the Tigers plan to move him into the rotation for next year. That left a gaping hole for eighth-inning setup work behind closer Jose Valverde, who had his share of high-pitch outings when having to enter in the eighth for a four- or five-out save.

Enter Benoit, whose fastball regained much of its old life following rotator cuff surgery two years ago. He missed the entire 2009 season in rehab, then lingered on the free-agent market before agreeing to a minor-league contract with the Rays as Spring Training began.

The deal turned out to be one of baseball’s best bargains. Benoit had a career year in the Tampa Bay bullpen, allowing just 30 hits over 60 1/3 innings with 11 walks and 75 strikeouts. Opponents batted just .194 against him, and he allowed just 2 out of 23 inherited runners to score.

– Jason Beck

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