Former Blue Jays who will be eligible for the 2023 Hall of Fame Ballot

Joaquin Benoit

A 16 year veteran of the Major Leagues, right-hander Joaquin Benoit spent just half a season with the Blue Jays back in 2016, a trade deadline acquisition from the Seattle Mariners to help boost the bullpen (similar to the Jason Grilli acquisition earlier in the year). Reliever Drew Storen went to the Mariners in exchange for the Dominican product.

Benoit was fantastic with the Blue Jays, appearing in 25 games and allowing only 17 hits and one earned run through 23.2 innings with the club. He also struck out 24 batters and finished four games for the Jays, earning one save in the process. Preparing to be one of the more trusted arms in the bullpen as the club inched its way towards playing postseason baseball, Benoit’s season would come to an end when he tore his calf during a bench-clearing brawl between the Blue Jays and the New York Yankees on September 26th.

The right-hander would sign with the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2017 season but would be traded at the deadline to the Pittsburgh Pirates, struggling on the mound to a 7.56 ERA through eight relief appearances with his new club. Benoit would sign with the Washington Nationals for the 2018 season but spent the entire year on the injured list and would never appear in the Major Leagues ever again.

He finishes his career with a 3.83 ERA through 764 outings with eight different organizations, striking out 1057 batters through 1068.2 innings. With relievers like Billy Wagner still on the ballot and struggling to earn their spot in Cooperstown, the going will be tough for Benoit to make the Hall of Fame if he does find his name on the ballot next year. Potential one and done candidate.