Phillies agree to one-year deal with Joaquin Benoit

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor  

On Sunday night, reports surfaced about the Philadelphia Phillies being close to signing veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit by the end of the winter meetings this week. Sources tell Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Benoit will get a one-year deal worth $7.5 million from the Phillies.

Joaquin Benoit’s one-year deal with the Phillies will pay him $7.5 million, according to a source. That is what he made in 2016, too.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) December 5, 2016

Benoit, 39, is a 15-year Major League veteran and spent the 2016 season with both the Mariners and the Blue Jays, posting a combined 3-1 record to go along with a 2.81 ERA in 51 games. He was very impressive in the second half of the season, sporting a 1.37 ERA in 28 games, spanning 26.1 innings.

The addition of Benoit comes after the Phillies claimed David Rollins off waivers last week and acquired Pat Neshek from the Astros earlier in the offseason.

On Tuesday, the Phillies designated Michael Mariot for assignment to make room for Benoit on the roster.