Marco Estrada Signs Two-Year Deal With Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have announced the signing of righty Marco Estrada, giving him a $26MM guarantee to return to the Toronto rotation for the next two seasons.
Last year was unquestionably a career-year for Estrada, who opened things up in the bullpen but quickly established himself as a key cog for the AL East champs. He ended the season with a stellar 3.13 ERA in his 181 frames.
That figure is both surprising and potentially misleading, as Estrada is no longer able to strike out a batter per inning (as he once did) and doesn’t induce many ground balls. Indeed, advanced metrics saw his results as incredibly lucky. An unsustainable .216 batting average on balls in play and career-low 8.7% HR/FB rate surely played a role.
On the other hand, Estrada has traditionally carried extremely low BABIP-against figures (.261 career), and his contact management ability arguably supports it going forward. Hardly a power pitcher, Estrada gets a ton of pop-ups and possesses an outstanding change-up that (one might think) could hold up well with age. And, most importantly, Toronto doesn’t need a repeat of that stellar run prevention to get what it needs out of this contract.
Estrada had been weighing a qualifying offer by the Jays, meaning he had the option of simply taking a $15.8MM salary for a one-year term. That was surely tempting, as Estrada has earned only about $10MM previously in his career. But the 32-year-old also had a chance at securing a multi-year commitment in free agency, which, given his age, may not ever again come around.
In the end, the sides appear to have chosen a mutually agreeable middle ground. Estrada gets multiple years, foregoing a chance at a third guaranteed season but maintaining a strong $13MM AAV. And the Blue Jays, who were in need of multiple starters, will fill one rotation spot with a manageable commitment.
It’s worth bearing in mind, too, that Estrada’s representatives at TWC Sports have had a chance to gauge the 32-year-old’s market all week long. Last year, Michael Cuddyer only turned down his QO when he knew a deal was in hand with the Mets. In this case, Estrada and his agents likely have a good sense of where things stand, though there’s always some uncertainty until a formal agreement is made.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that the deal was close (via Twitter) and reported its value (Twitter link). ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported on Twitter that the deal was done, as did Shi Davidi and Mike Wilner of Sportsnet.ca, who confirmed its length and value.
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Ian Kennedy To Reject Qualifying Offer
Padres right-hander Ian Kennedy will reject the team’s qualifying offer and seek a multi-year deal on the free-agent market, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported yesterday that Kennedy was planning to reject the offer, and he did just that rather than following the path of fellow Scott Boras client Matt Wieters in accepting he one-year pact.
Many have speculated that Kennedy would accept the offer due to a poor start to the season and a problem with home runs in 2015, but the longstanding belief at MLBTR has been that Kennedy’s durability and penchant for strikeouts would lead to a multi-year deal on the open market. The right-hander ranks fourth in the NL in innings pitched dating back to 2011 and he’s averaged 8.5 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in that time to go along with a 3.89 ERA/3.87 FIP/3.78 xFIP.
The 30-year-old Kennedy did have some struggles in 2015, namely an abnormal susceptibility to home runs. Kennedy logged a dreadful 7.15 ERA through the first two months of the season, but he rebounded with a 3.41 ERA and 137-to-38 K/BB ratio over his final 129 1/3 innings (22 starts).
Over the course of his career, 10.7 percent of fly-balls off Kennedy have turned into home runs, but that number soared to an uncharacteristic — and probably fluky — 17.2 percent in 2015. A return to his normal rate in that regard should lead to dramatically improved bottom-line results from Kennedy, who recorded the best K%-BB% mark of his career this past season.
It’s hard to peg a specific market for the veteran at this point, as none of the starting pitching pieces have fallen into place. Generally, though, he lands comfortably in the mid-tier of free agent rotation options. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes rated him the 19th-best player available, sandwiched between Scott Kazmir and Yovani Gallardo, and predicted that Kennedy will land a deal in the range of four-years and $52MM deal in spite of the QO.
Matt Wieters Accepts Qualifying Offer
Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will accept the one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offer, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
Wieters accepting the offer comes as a surprise on multiple fronts. He’s the clear top catcher on this year’s free-agent market despite coming off an injury-riddled season. Wieters is also represented by Scott Boras, who has routinely spoken out against the flaws in the QO system and has a reputation for encouraging his players to test the open market.
Then again, Wieters and Boras have had the past week to check in with other clubs and have a good idea of where his market presently stands. The fact that the Braves have re-signed A.J. Pierzynski and the Twins have traded for the Yankees’ John Ryan Murphy eliminated a pair of potential landing spots with teams that could have reasonably pursued a starting catcher, as well.
Wieters batted .267/.319/.422 in 2015 — well-above-average production for a catcher — but he was also limited to 79 games due to injuries. Wieters underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and was set to return to begin the year, but tendinitis in his right elbow delayed his return until June. Even upon activation, Wieters only caught on back-to-back days four times this season, which is a cause for concern but certainly doesn’t rule him out from doing so with regularity in the future. He’ll look to prove better health in 2016 in a familiar environment before seeking a large contract next winter.
By accepting the QO, Wieters has locked in his salary and is not tradeable (without his consent) until next June, as would be the case with any other free-agent signing. He will presumably pair with Caleb Joseph behind the plate and take on a larger portion of the catching duties in 2016 than he had in 2015. His return is probably bad news for Steve Clevenger, who had been projected to be in a timeshare with Joseph but is now third on the depth chart. He’s been a trade candidate in the past and could see his name surface in rumors again this winter.
Wieters is still just 29 years of age, and he’ll be 30 going on 31 next year when he re-enters what will be a considerably weaker free-agent market (although, that market includes steeper competition in the catching department, in the form of Francisco Cervelli). His acceptance of the QO means that the Orioles won’t recoup three extra picks in next year’s draft, as they’d hoped when making QOs to Wieters, Wei-Yin Chen and Chris Davis. However, it does immediately fill one potential void for the 2016 Orioles, who can now turn their attention to addressing the rotation, corner outfield, first base and the bullpen. Of course, the flip side of that notion could be that the Orioles never planned to spend heavily on catcher and now have more limited resources to address the aforementioned needs.
It’s now worth wondering whether or not Boras will leverage next year’s weak free-agent market by encouraging fellow client Ian Kennedy to accept the Padres’ qualifying offer, though I still think there’s a case to be made for him securing a multi-year deal this winter.
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Colby Rasmus Accepts Qualifying Offer
NOV. 13: The Astros announced (via Twitter) that Rasmus has accepted the offer and will return to the club in 2016.
NOV. 12: Outfielder Colby Rasmus will become the first player ever to accept a qualifying offer, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that he’ll take the one-year, $15.8MM deal extended to him by the Astros.
Rasmus, 29, slashed a productive .238/.314/.475 over 485 plate appearances last year. He also swatted 25 home runs while playing solid defense all over the outfield. And Rasmus reversed his traditional platoon splits, hammering lefties to the tune of .252/.364/.471 (in 140 trips to the plate).
In some ways that represented a big year for Rasmus, especially when combined with a torrid (but short-lived) post-season run. In truth, though, it really only affirmed his standing. His on-base percentage did drop below .300 in an injury-plagued 2014, but his power numbers were good enough that he still put together the second of three consecutive seasons with better-than-league-average production.
Rasmus will presumably spend most of his time in left, flanking center fielder Carlos Gomez. Slick defender Jake Marisnick may take some plate appearances against opposing southpaws.
Houston GM Jeff Luhnow said recently that the team was hopeful that Rasmus would accept, and it appears he’ll get his wish. The club will neither gain nor lose any draft picks. Rasmus will be treated like any other free agent who has signed a deal, meaning that he cannot be traded without consent until June 15th of 2016. (Click here for more of the rules governing the qualifying offer.)
The $15.8MM sum is a lot on an annual basis, to be sure. But it’s hardly an earth-shattering sum in this day and age. And Houston will benefit from the fact that it need not commit to Rasmus beyond next season, allowing the club to re-assess after the year. Of course, some planning will be required: both he and Gomez will at that point be eligible for free agency, and the team has dealt away several significant prospects (Brett Phillips and Domingo Santana were sent in the Gomez trade) who might have been ready to step in.
Over the three prior years that the qualifying offer system was in place, no player ever took the deal. As we’ve often discussed here at MLBTR, it rarely makes sense for a free agent to do so, since in most cases preserving the possibility of a multi-year deal is worth the risk — especially given that many players will still end up with a chance at a similar one-year deal as a fallback.
But as MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk explained on Tuesday in his outlook piece for the Astros, Rasmus seemed an unusually likely candidate to accept the one-year offer. While he’s still young, the Excel Sports Management client faced a competitive market situation and was not quite a full-time player last year. After failing to find a home with the Cardinals and Blue Jays, he seemed to fit in well in Houston. And it doesn’t hurt that he’ll have an opportunity to re-enter the market next year. While there are still some quality outfielders among the crop of expected 2016-17 free agents, it’s not as deep a class as the current one.
Looking elsewhere in the free agent market, players such as Denard Span and Gerardo Parra figure to benefit from today’s decision. While they are entirely different types of players, both are left-handed hitters who move up a peg in the outfield market.
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Mariners Re-Sign Franklin Gutierrez
NOV. 13: Gutierrez will earn a $1.5MM base salary and can collect up to $4.25MM more via bonuses based on plate appearances, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link).
NOV. 11: The Mariners announced that they’ve re-signed outfielder Franklin Gutierrez to a one-year, Major League contract. The Octagon client and long-time Mariner enjoyed an excellent rebound season in 2015.
Gutierrez, 32, returned to the Majors in 2015 after missing all of the 2014 season. The oft-injured center fielder signed a four-year, $20MM extension with Seattle prior to the 2010 season but saw that deal turn sour due to a litany of injuries. Over that time, Gutierrez battled a stomach disease (gastritis), a torn pectoral muscle, oblique injuries, a concussion which had long-term lingering effects and a series of hamstring injuries.
Gutierrez, though, made his way back to the Majors midway through the 2015 campaign and delivered unprecedented power numbers, relative to his own standards. The 32-year-old batted .292/.354/.620 with 15 home runs in just 189 plate appearances. While Gutierrez saw far more time against left-handed pitching than he did against right-handers, he posted nearly identical OPS marks of .973 and .978 against lefties and righties, respectively.
Once known as a premier defender in center field, Gutierrez played exclusively corner outfield in 2015 and probably won’t be counted upon for center field defense at this stage of his career, considering his lengthy history of injuries. However, he still graded out quite well in 301 innings of left field duty (+3 Defensive Runs Saved, +3.4 UZR). It’d be unreasonable to expect that Gutierrez can maintain an OPS just shy of 1.000, but he could certainly profile as a capable platoon partner for left fielder Seth Smith, who has historically struggled against left-handed pitching.
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Angels Acquire Andrelton Simmons
The Angels have officially agreed to acquire shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the Braves, along with catcher Jose Briceno. Lefty Sean Newcomb and righty Chris Ellis are going to Atlanta in return, along with long-time Halos shortstop Erick Aybar. The Braves will pick up $2.5MM in the swap to offset some of Aybar’s salary.
Simmons, 26, is arguably the single best defensive player in the game today. Though he hasn’t been consistent offensively, he has a tremendous floor because of his glove, which is as pleasing to the eye as it is to defensive metrics.
Simmons has shown promise at the plate at times. In 2013, his first full season in the majors, he slashed .248/.296/.416 and hit 17 home runs. But Simmons’s isolated slugging has fallen off precipitously since, with his groundball rate rising and frequency of hard contact tailing off. While the high-contact hitter managed a .321 OBP last year, his overall batting contribution was valued at just an 82 wRC+.
Los Angeles will take over the extension that Simmons signed last winter with his now-former club, pursuant to which he is owed $53MM over the next five seasons. Notably, not much cash has run off of that contract since it was signed, as Simmons was paid just $5MM total from signing through 2015.
The 23-year-old Briceno is not a major part of the swap. He spent all of last year at the High-A level, his highest placement yet, and slashed a meager .183/.215/.267 over 327 plate appearances.
The Braves, meanwhile, receive two hurlers who were widely considered the best prospects in an already-depleted (and now largely barren) Los Angeles system. When combined with last winter’s trade haul, Atlanta now has a loaded store room of young arms to deploy at the major league level or utilize in future trades.
Newcomb, in particular, is a major asset, as he landed inside the top twenty on MLB.com’s latest league-wide prospects list. The 22-year-old southpaw climbed from Class A to Double-A over the 2015 season, producing excellent run prevention numbers along the way. He averaged double-digit strikeout-per-nine tallies as well, though his composite 5.0 BB/9 walk rate shows that he’s still in need of polishing.
The 23-year-old Ellis, meanwhile, isn’t viewed in the same tier as Newcomb. The University of Mississippi product did have a solid 2015, though, logging 140 2/3 frames of 3.90 ERA ball, split between High-A and Double-A. He struck out 8.4 and walked 4.0 batters per nine along the way, but that K:BB rate took a beating after his promotion.
Aybar will likely serve as a placeholder for the Braves, who have a highly-regarded young shortstop in Ozhaino Albies who is a few years off but moving quickly through the system. Depending upon how the offseason and season progress, Aybar could also end up a trade piece.
The 31-year-old had a down year in 2015, slashing just .270/.301/.338 in 638 trips to the plate. But he had posted slightly above-average numbers over the four preceding years. Aybar has drawn more or less average career ratings in the field, though both DRS and UZR saw him as sub-par last season.
All told, Aybar still profiles as an average or better regular heading into 2016. After all, he’s fifth in all of baseball in fWAR accumulated over the past five campaigns. His $8.5MM salary will be reduced to a $6MM total for Atlanta, which makes him plenty valuable despite his pending free agency after the coming season.
MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported the swap on Twitter. The package going to the Braves was reported by MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez (Twitter links) and Joel Sherman of the New York Post (also on Twitter). Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links) and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) reported Briceno’s involvement. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweeted the monetary amount involved.
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Braves Listening On Andrelton Simmons
4:31pm: The Rockies are not engaged in trade talks regarding Simmons, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports on Twitter.
8:58am: The Mets checked in on Simmons this morning and were met with the asking price of Jacob deGrom or Matt Harvey, tweets Sherman, which is steeper than New York would care to pay.
NOV. 12, 7:09am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Braves are indeed listening to offers for Simmons, and they’ve been in recent contact with the Padres, Dodgers and Angels (three Twitter links). The Braves recognize the weak free-agent market at shortstop and want to at least see what the return would be for Simmons considering how valuable he is. Sherman adds that the Mets haven’t checked in on Simmons yet, perhaps assuming that the Braves wouldn’t deal him within the NL East.
NOV. 11, 10:42pm: The Braves have discussed Simmons, but no deal is close at the moment, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (links to Twitter). They’re willing to listen, and as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution adds (also via Twitter), Atlanta is determined to add multiple young, impact pieces without raising payroll much. Moving Simmons could achieve that goal, but the cost would assuredly be astounding for a player with as much surplus value on his contract as Simmons presently has.
10:31pm: The Padres have checked in on Simmons but nothing is close in terms of trade talks between the two sides, according to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune (Twitter link).
9:58pm: Keri now tweets that the Braves’ talks revolve around Andrelton Simmons. That doesn’t necessarily rule out any of the four remaining teams, as the Rockies and Padres could certainly use a long-term answer at shortstop and either the Dodgers or D-Backs could shuffle their current infield alignment to add a defender of Simmons’ caliber.
Simmons’ offensive output was down in 2015, but he remains arguably the game’s most elite defensive player and is under contract for another five seasons at a total of $53MM.
9:33pm: The Giants aren’t in talks with the Braves, both SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman hear (links to Twitter).
9:11pm: The Braves are “deep” in trade talks with a yet-unnamed NL West club, reports Jonah Keri of ESPN (via Twitter). Clearly, there’s a lot left to the imagination with this report, but there’s enough to at least envision a few possibilities.
The Braves are known to be shopping expensive veterans Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, though neither player is a desirable asset considering the $15MM each is owed in 2016. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported today that Cameron Maybin is available in trades, and Maybin could be a more appealing piece on the heels of the first fully healthy season he’s enjoyed since 2012. There’s also been speculation over the past several months that Atlanta could move on from formerly presumed catcher-of-the-future Christian Bethancourt, and the team did just reportedly agree to terms on a new one-year deal with A.J. Pierzynski earlier tonight. Other possibilities include Julio Teheran, whose name has been kicked around in trade rumors since the summer, and Mike Minor, whom the team is reportedly uncertain about tendering after he experienced a setback in his rehab from shoulder surgery.
A quick rundown of the NL West’s team needs: the Rockies could be looking for catching or pitching help, the Giants are reportedly interested in outfielders and rotation arms, the Diamondbacks are hunting for general pitching help (rotation or bullpen), the Dodgers are in much the same boat as the D-Backs, and the Padres could conceivably be looking to add in the outfield, infield or rotation. That creates a wide-ranging slate of possibilities, of course, though if a trade is indeed nearing fruition, further details are likely to be reported sooner rather than later.
Braves Re-Sign A.J. Pierzynski
NOV. 12: The Braves have formally announced Pierzynski’s new contract, via press release.
NOV. 11, 7:33pm: Pierzynski gets a $1MM signing bonus, a $2MM base salary and another $1MM worth of incentives, tweets Rosenthal, who also adds that the veteran catcher had a more lucrative offer but chose to return to Atlanta instead.
7:13pm: Pierzynski will receive a $3MM base salary on his new contract with the Braves, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
5:23pm: The Braves and veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski are in agreement on a one-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (links to Twitter). The Hilliard Sports Management client will return to Atlanta for his second season in 2016, pending a physical.
Pierzynski may be turning 39 years old in December, but he didn’t show his age last season with the Braves, hitting .300/.339/.430 with nine homers in 113 games as Atlanta’s primary catcher. Pierzynski also caught 24 percent of opposing base-stealers, which was below the league average but fell right in line with his career norms. Pierzynski earned a $2MM base salary plus another $700K worth of incentives, and it would seem that his strong 2015 play has positioned him to earn a raise in what will be his 18th Major League season.
The Braves have been rumored as a potential landing spot for Matt Wieters this offseason, but the re-signing of Pierzynski would seem to dampen the possibility of a match with the Atlanta and the former Georgia Tech star. The Twins were an oft-rumored destination for Pierzynski, having attempted to sign their former catcher to a two-year deal prior to the 2013 season and also having expressed interest at the trade deadline. However, Minnesota swung a trade to acquire John Ryan Murphy from the Yankees earlier today, presumably taking them out of the market for Pierzynski’s services.
Pierzynski, for the time being, figures to slot in atop the Braves’ depth chart at catcher, although the organization does have a highly touted young receiver in Christian Bethancourt. However, Bethancourt is coming off a disappointing season and has yet to establish himself in the Major Leagues. Reports have indicated that the Braves are interested in upgrades behind the plate, and they’ve been linked to younger catching options that could be long-term pieces behind the dish. As such, it’s probably wise to not yet rule the Braves out on adding further catching help, as Pierzynski could certainly profile as a backup given his advanced age, even if his bat still appears potent enough for regular starting duty.
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Latest On Aroldis Chapman
1:11pm: The Red Sox are indeed doing background work on Chapman, tweets Rosenthal, although that’s more a sign of genuine interest than proximity to a trade’s completion.
12:17pm: The Red Sox are being aggressive on many fronts, one of which is believed to be Chapman, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
11:13am: Aroldis Chapman has seen his name circulate in trade rumors for the past year and is widely known to be on the block once again, and Peter Gammons of MLB Network and GammonsDaily.com now reports that four people have insisted to him this morning that Chapman will be traded by the end of the coming weekend (Twitter link).
Chapman most prominently drew interest from the Astros, Yankees and Diamondbacks prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and he’s been speculatively connected to the Yankees, Red Sox and others this past week over the course of the GM Meetings. The Nationals and Tigers are also known to be seeking high-end bullpen help, and the Blue Jays have shown interest in the past as well. Gammons doesn’t specify which clubs are in the mix for Chapman at this time, but Cincinnati president of baseball ops Walt Jocketty more or less confirmed this week that he’s more or less open for business and will listen to talks on virtually any player on his club.
Chapman, with one year of club control remaining, is a natural trade chip for the rebuilding Reds. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected the left-hander to earn a steep $12.9MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and while that’s top-of-the-market value for a relief arm, Chapman has undoubtedly proven himself worthy of that much, if not more. The 27-year-old struck out more than 15 hitters per nine innings for the fourth consecutive season in 2015 while averaging 99.5 mph on his fastball. Over the course of the four seasons in question, Chapman has a 1.90 ERA and has saved 33 or more games per season.
Mariners Acquire Joaquin Benoit
The Mariners announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Joaquin Benoit from the Padres in exchange for minor league right-hander Enyel De Los Santos and infielder Nelson Ward.
The 38-year-old Benoit, presumably, will serve as a ninth-inning option for rookie manager Scott Servais in Seattle. The Padres recently exercised a $7.5MM option on Benoit for the 2016 season, after which he’ll be a free agent.
Benoit is coming off yet another excellent season spent as a late-inning weapon, having logged a 2.34 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 and a career-best 46.3 percent ground-ball rate. Despite his advanced age, Benoit averaged better than 94 mph on his fastball for the third consecutive season while notching a 16.5 percent swinging-strike rate that was 6.6 percent better than the league average. Dating back to 2010, Benoit has a clean bill of health and has averaged 63 innings/65 appearances per season, working in mostly a setup capacity but also serving as the Tigers’ primary closer in 2013.
Peripheral ERA indicators such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA are less optimistic than Benoit about his gaudy ERA totals over the years, and 2015 was no exception. However, Benoit has proven over the last several seasons to be able to sustain a BABIP that is well south of the league average and a strand rate that is significantly higher than that of an average pitcher.
The Padres will add a pair of minor leaguers to their system and save the $7.5MM they probably didn’t want to spend on Benoit in the first place given the escalating salaries around the rest of the payroll and the more affordable in-house options they had for the setup role (MLB.com’s Corey Brock tweets that Kevin Quackenbush, Jon Edwards and Brandon Maurer will be leaned on, and the team could look for external setup options as well, particularly if Maurer is converted back to the rotation). However, GM A.J. Preller correctly assessed that the Padres could receive some future value by exercising the option and trading Benoit. While neither De Los Santos nor Ward are premium prospects, the duo does give the Padres additional upside and depth in its farm system.
De Los Santos, 19, was one of the better prospects in a weak Mariners farm system, tweets Baseball America’s Ben Badler, and BA recently rated him as the 15th-best prospect in the short-season Class-A Northwest League. De Los Santos logged a 4.06 ERA with an encouraging 10.0 K/9 mark against 3.1 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings (eight starts) this past season. De Los Santos features a 93 to 95 mph fastball that touches 97 mph, per BA. He also has an average curveball and a changeup that occasionally looks like a plus pitch but needs further refinement in addition to good control. At 6’3″, he’s tall enough to add some weight to the 170 pounds at which he is currently listed.
Ward, 23, was Seattle’s 12th-round pick out of the University of Georgia in the 2014 draft. He split the 2015 season between Class-A and Class-A Advanced, batting a solid .278/.365/.436 with nine homers and 13 steals across the two levels. He spent most of his time at second base and at third base, though he did log five games at shortstop this season and 31 games there in 2014.
The Benoit trade marks Dipoto’s second significant trade of the young offseason, as he’s already picked up right-handed starter Nate Karns, lefty reliever C.J. Riefenhauser and outfield prospect Boog Powell in a six-player deal with the Rays. The Mariners have also re-signed Franklin Gutierrez and are said to be in discussions with free-agent catcher Chris Iannetta regarding a contract.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported seconds before the announcement that Benoit was headed to Seattle (via Twitter).
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