Joaquin Benoit and his agent are believed to be seeking an annual salary of between $7MM and $10MM per year, reports ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter). That would make Benoit slightly more affordable than fellow free agent reliever Fernando Rodney, who is reportedly looking for $10MM+ annually.
Coming off a season in which he recorded a 2.01 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 67 innings, Benoit represents one of the more appealing options on the relief market, which should give him some leverage in negotations. Back in October, MLBTR's Steve Adams predicted that the righty would land a two-year deal worth $16MM, so an annual salary of $7-10MM isn't an unreasonable request for Benoit and his reps at ACES.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported late last night that teams believe Benoit's likeliest potential destinations are the Indians, Padres, Mariners, Cubs, and Yankees.
