Blue Jays trade Storen, cash to Mariners for Joaquin Benoit

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Drew Storen and cash considerations. The Mariners announced the deal just moments after Devon Travis scored the winning run on Tuesday night. 


Earlier Tuesday afternoon, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reported that Benoit was rumoured to be a Blue Jays target. Storen, who was recently designated for assignment by the Blue Jays, goes the other way after struggling to a 6.21 ERA in Toronto.

Benoit, the 39-year-old Dominican right-hander, is having a similar 16 months to Storen as he’s struggled in 2016 after a much stronger 2015 season.

In 26 appearances for the Mariners, Benoit has a 5.18 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched. A former member of the Padres, Tigers, Rays, and Rangers, Benoit was quietly dominant from 2013 to 2015.

Across those three seasons, he posted a 1.98 ERA in 186 games with 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. While he and Storen have paralleled one another in terms of performance this season, it is worth noting that Benoit has maintained his velocity around 94 MPH on his fastball. That was an issue for Storen, who lost some speed across his arsenal.

As was the case in the acquisitions of Jason Grilli and Melvin Upton Jr., the finances involved will provide the full picture of the deal. Given the similar profiles and contracts of the two relievers, however, the cash considerations are unlikely to be substantial.

Stay tuned to Jays Journal for updates on this story as they are reported.