Benoit was traded to the Blue Jays on Tuesday in exchange for Drew Storen and cash considerations. Struggling relief pitcher Storen had been designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. A star set-up man in 2014 with a 1.12 ERA over 65 games, Storen has struggled with his control of late, but Seattle hopes a change of scenery will revert the 28-year-old to his old ways.
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In his last 21 appearances, he posted a 4.66 ERA (10 ER, 19.1 IP) with 17 strikeouts (3.44 ERA if you exclude his last outing).
In exchange, the Jays get a reliever who hasn’t had the best of seasons in his own right in the veteran Benoit. “Hopefully he’ll end up (performing) just like what (Jason) Grilli has done”. He has scuffled since an early DL stint and been plagued with command issues, however, registering 15 walks to 28 strikeouts in 26 relief appearances.
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Steve Cishek has been Seattle’s primary closer this season, and Vidal Nuno and Nick Vincent have worked well in preceding bullpen jobs. With an impending free-agent class that’s now poised to feature big names such as Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, and Mark Melancon, it’s important for Storen and Benoit to finish their 2016 campaigns on a high note to establish value on the offseason market. The benefit for the Mariners is that Storen is considerably younger than Benoit and has been great in past seasons.
