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	<title>Toronto &#187; Joaquin Benoit</title>
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	<description>Comprehensive coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays</description>
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		<title>The Replacements: How Do The New Bullpen Pieces Stack Up</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/02/06/the-replacements-how-do-the-new-bullpen-pieces-stack-up/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2017 12:05:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave Church]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brett Cecil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drew Storen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.P. Howell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joaquin Benoit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Smith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=8904</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For all the potential frustration from fans about a quiet offseason, the Blue Jays&#8217; braintrust has had some small victories recently when it comes to building the bullpen. Getting J.P. Howell and Joe Smith added some much needed depth to the relief core, supplementing 2016 holdovers Roberto Osuna, Jason Grilli, and Joe Biagini. The Blue Jays bullpen [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For all the potential <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/01/24/half-baked-musings-on-a-frustrating-offseason-for-jays-fans">frustration from fans</a> about a quiet offseason, the Blue Jays&#8217; braintrust has had some <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/01/31/blue-jays-sign-lefty-reliever-j-p-howell/">small</a> <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/02/05/blue-jays-sign-right-handed-reliever-joe-smith-to-major-league-deal/">victories</a> recently when it comes to building the bullpen. Getting J.P. Howell and Joe Smith added some much needed depth to the relief core, supplementing 2016 holdovers Roberto Osuna, Jason Grilli, and Joe Biagini.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays bullpen struggled at the beginning of last year, and there&#8217;s no shortage of reasons why. The Blue Jays started the year with eight relievers, an abundance of high-leverage situations, and two struggling veterans in Drew Storen and Brett Cecil making the opening months quite nail-biting for Jays fans. John Gibbons emerging from the dugout with an arm raised was a source of stress more than relief, save for the mostly-automatic Osuna. The late season acquisitions of Joaquin Benoit and Grilli righted the ship, but with Benoit and Cecil leaving, the team had some holes to fill coming into the offseason.</p>
<p>Did they get the right guys? Let&#8217;s compare the newcomers to the players they&#8217;re replacing, and see how they stack up. To start off, we&#8217;ll do the lefties: Howell does J.P. stack up against Cecil?</p>
<h2>J.P. Howell vs. Brett Cecil</h2>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/howell-cecil.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-8911 size-full" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/howell-cecil.png" alt="howell-cecil" width="698" height="75" /></a></p>
<p>By the 2016 numbers, this exchange works reasonably well for the Blue Jays. Howell seems to be a competent replacement for Cecil, and signed for less money and fewer years. One thing to note is they&#8217;re very different pitchers. Cecil was a fastball/curveball pitcher, famous for that sweeping hook that got him strikeouts when it was on. Even in what was perceived by some to be a down season, he still struck out 11 batters per nine innings. Howell is a sinkerballer, relying mostly on a mid 80s sinker and a solid defense to bail him out. With the excellent defensive infield the Jays have, this will likely work out just fine.</p>
<p>Something else Howell doesn&#8217;t have is Cecil&#8217;s history and familiarity with the organization and the fans. Given how some fans saw Cecil&#8217;s performance last season, this might be a bonus rather than a deficit. Howell is likely to be John Gibbons&#8217; first call when a left-hander is needed, regardless of if he does well or not out of the gate.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Smith is ostensibly replacing Benoit, but Benoit only spent part of the season with the Jays. So rather than compare Smith to just Benoit, we will compare him to the aggregate of Benoit and the man he replaced: Drew Storen.</p>
<h2>Joe Smith vs. Joaquin Benoit/Drew Storen</h2>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/smith-storoit.png"><img class=" size-full wp-image-8912 aligncenter" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/smith-storoit.png" alt="smith-storoit" width="698" height="75" /></a></p>
<p>This is another one that seems to work out well for the Blue Jays. Though we do not have an aggregate DRA, the other numbers are fairly similar, with a lower K/9 from Smith than our Benoit/Storen hydra. Another thing we note looking at Benoit specifically is he had a much lower HR/9 rate with the Jays than his career would have suggested. Though he threw well with Toronto, trouble was coming, and they may have been wise to let him walk after getting as much as they could from him.</p>
<p>When we look beyond the numbers, there&#8217;s now a running similarity in the pitchers the Jays have brought in: they don&#8217;t throw as hard. Both Benoit and Storen were fastball/slider pitchers, and threw said fastballs in the low 90s. Smith, much like Howell, is a sinkerballer, and might touch 90 on a good day. This could be why both Smith and Howell were available when higher-end relief pitchers who throw much harder were <a href="http://bronx.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/12/07/report-yankees-aroldis-chapman-agree-to-five-year-86-million-deal/">getting a lot more money.</a></p>
<p>While the numbers suggest this should work fine for the Jays, there&#8217;s no certainty with relievers. They can fluctuate from year to year, as the Jays learned repeatedly last season. Storen struggled, Cecil scuffled early and righted the ship late, Grilli turned from a cheap trade acquisition into a key setup man, and Benoit became another crucial link in the middle inning chain the Jays constructed as the season went along. The bullpen on opening day was much different from the one that entered the playoffs, and that&#8217;s something to keep in mind if the newcomers blow a game or two early. But everything we can see suggests Smith and Howell were savvy pickups at a low cost, and should save Gibbons some heartache when he tries to match up later in games.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: © Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>This Week in Blue Jays: The Front Office&#8217;s Direction After the Trade Deadline</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/31/this-week-in-blue-jays-the-front-offices-direction/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/31/this-week-in-blue-jays-the-front-offices-direction/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 2016 09:23:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenn Smith]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[This Week in Blue Jays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joaquin Benoit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melvin Upton]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=5029</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today is an interesting date for Blue Jays fans. On the eve of the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline, it was a year ago yesterday that then-general manager Alex Anthopoulos sent shockwaves through the baseball world by trading for ace David Price, a move that – along with the trade for Troy Tulowitzki a few days [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today is an interesting date for Blue Jays fans. On the eve of the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline, it was a year ago yesterday that then-general manager Alex Anthopoulos sent shockwaves through the baseball world by trading for ace David Price, a move that – along with the trade for Troy Tulowitzki a few days beforehand – definitively stated “we’re all in” and helped to lead the Jays to their first playoff appearance in twenty-two years.</p>
<p>That was then. This is now.</p>
<p>Though the Jays are no doubt a superior team than they were at this – or frankly, any – point last season, they still have the same glaring need: starting pitching. It is impossible to predict what this management team might be able to pull off this trade deadline. Certainly, if they are able to make a move, it will not be of the blockbuster variety. Those do not happen very often, and when they do, they often involve trading pieces of the future for a one-time shot at the prize. No one should expect Atkins to be able to trade for a bonafide ace. Quite simply, he did not inherit the assets to do so. However, what the front office lacks in terms of trade chips they appear to be making up for in creativity. I believe that their two newest acquisitions, Melvin Upton Jr. and Joaquin Benoit, provide insight into the direction in which this management team is headed.</p>
<p>The deal for Upton provides the Jays with upside on two fronts: it provides roster flexibility as the Jays chase down a championship while also hedging against an uncertain future. In the short-term, as noted by <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/person-interest-new-blue-jays-outfielder-melvin-upton-jr/" target="_blank">Jeff Simmons of Sportsnet</a>, Upton is a good defensive outfielder who can play all three outfield positions, providing manager John Gibbons with the option of using either Jose Bautista or Michael Saunders more often in the DH role. And although he is unlikely to be in the starting lineup often against right-handed pitchers (this season he is batting .247/.292/.392 against RHP compared to .279/.333/.570 versus lefties) he is a good option off the bench to be a late-inning defensive replacement. Upton also provides some much needed speed on the base paths, having stolen 20 bases thus far this season (the Jays as a team have just 32). Though he certainly won’t light this team on fire, his acquisition is what <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/72543/blue-jays-blockbuster-hardly-but-melvin-upton-jr-adds-piece-to-playoff-puzzle" target="_blank">Jerry Crasnick of ESPN</a> refers to as “tinkering around the edges”.</p>
<p>What Upton does is make this lineup better – modestly so, perhaps, but depth is critical during a playoff run. However, his acquisition does more than strengthen this team as it chases down another pennant. It hedges against the uncertain future of Jose Bautista and Michael Saunders, both of whom are free agents at the end of this season (Upton is under contract through the end of 2017) and the unlikelihood of re-signing both of them. Leaving the Padres on the hook for all but $5 million remaining on Upton&#8217;s contract also provides payroll relief into 2017 that could be spent on other areas of need.</p>
<p>The trade of Drew Storen to the Seattle Mariners for Joaquin Benoit is indicative of another trend we have seen from this front office, that of their willingness to take a chance on buy-low reclamation candidates. Storen himself was one such project. When the Jays traded for him in the offseason, Storen had just come off a poor second half after having lost the closers&#8217; role in Washington, a period of time which saw his ERA spike from 1.89 to 5.82 while his strike out to walk ratio dropped from 4.75 to 3.63. The Jays, in need of options in the bullpen, took a shot, hoping that Storen could provide value. Instead, he had a 6.21 ERA in 38 appearances during which he gave up 23 earned runs over 33.1 innings pitched. Simply put, he was no longer an option out of the pen.</p>
<p>The Jays cut bait when they designated Storen for assignment, demonstrating a willingness to essentially admit that the deal was a wash and that it was time to move forward. Enter Benoit, who had a 5.18 ERA in 26 appearances with Seattle this season, one which has been mared by a shoulder injury that caused Benoit to spend some time on the disabled list. As <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2016/07/27/reliever-joaquin-benoit-ready-to-prove-himself-with-blue-jays" target="_blank">Melissa Couto of the Canadian Press reports</a>, he is eager to prove himself with the Jays as they head towards the playoffs. Whether or not Benoit works out is nearly irrelevant given that the Jays gave up nothing to get him. He&#8217;s simply a guy who, if he performs well enough, will provide one more option out of the pen. If he is unable to contribute down the stretch, given the cost to get him, it was worth the shot.</p>
<p style="text-align: left">Melvin Upton Jr. shares Benoit&#8217;s desire to make the most of this opportunity. A five-tool player out of high school, Upton&#8217;s major league career hasn&#8217;t exactly followed the trajectory one might have predicted. Though productive, he was difficult to work with during his years in Tampa Bay (TSN&#8217;s Dirk Hayhurst <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/what-the-jays-are-getting-in-upton-1.533006" target="_blank">relays an interesting story to that effect</a>), while his time in Atlanta was downright abysmal (Craig Edwards takes a close look at <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/melvin-upton-jr-heads-to-toronto-continuing-preller-purge/" target="_blank">Upton&#8217;s stats through various eras of his career</a>).  Now, despite being on downside of his career, Upton hopes to put it all together. As with Benoit, the cost to acquire Upton was so low that any upside he brings outweighs the risk.</p>
<p style="text-align: left">None of this changes the fact that the Jays still need to acquire at least one starting pitcher who is a better option than Drew Hutchison and, if possible, one more reliever, specifically a lefty specialist. It&#8217;s not that they can&#8217;t win as currently constructed, but once again, depth is key, and such acquisitions would provide insurance in case of injuries. Whether or not Ross Atkins can pull it off is an entirely different matter. And, while it has been confirmed by the likes of Ken Rosenthal and Jon Heyman that the Jays are indeed chasing down teams that are looking to sell assets at the trade deadline (Richard Griffin offers a <a href="http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/sports/1384210-griffin-jays-need-a-starter-better-than-hutchison" target="_blank">list of potential trade targets</a>), there is a portion of this fan base that will undoubtedly use the inability to make deal (should it come to that) to fuel the narrative that this management team is more concerned with restocking the farm system (an area of weakness with which they <em>should</em> be concerned) than winning a championship. The perception, to some, will be that Atkins didn&#8217;t try hard enough to make a trade.</p>
<p style="text-align: left">The reality, of course, is that this is business, and if you lack the currency of the market (namely high-level prospects), you will likely walk away empty-handed. The Jays are not going to trade for the likes of Chris Sale. Not this trade deadline. But, what Atkins has demonstrated not only this past week but in his entire, albeit short, tenure with the Blue Jays is a willingness to be creative while taking a flier on low-risk, high-reward candidates (see Grilli, Jason and Biagini, Joe). If the Blue Jays do make a move before the deadline (and I believe they will), it won&#8217;t be jaw-dropper like the Price deal. But, that won&#8217;t mean it isn&#8217;t a solid move. And, with a little luck, it will be just enough.</p>
<p>Quick Hits:</p>
<ul>
<li>As the trade deadline looms large, so too does the decision regarding Aaron Sanchez. The topic has been debated and discussed, pondered and prodded, with no definitive &#8220;right&#8221; answer. His transition to the bullpen &#8211; which appears inevitable &#8211;  will be unprecedented within the MLB. Some have wondered how such a move will be perceived by the team. While few are offering much of anything aside from the traditional stock answer, Josh Donaldson provided <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/tradedeadline_sanchez/when-comes-aaron-sanchez-toronto-options-easy" target="_blank">some interesting thoughts </a>on the pending move. Like Marco Estrada two weeks ago, Donaldson seems want Sanchez to remain in the rotation. And, who can blame him? I will readily admit to being on Team Start Sanchez, and believe that science can be used to argue both sides of the debate. And, while I do understand the Jays&#8217; position on this &#8211; really, it should be considered a good thing that they want to be cautious with their young star &#8211; it&#8217;s going to be an incredibly tough sell to both this team and this fan base when management finally pulls the trigger.</li>
<li>If you are looking forward to the future of this team, or if you are simply a <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/video/guerrero-jr-carrying-big-name-expectations~921063" target="_blank">Vladimir Guerrero Jr.</a> enthusiast like I am, you&#8217;ll enjoy this Rick Westhead profile of the seventeen year old phenom.</li>
<li>And, finally. <a href="https://amp.twimg.com/v/eeecf93c-543e-48b7-8813-bc5e955c72ca" target="_blank">Meet Nigel Batson</a>, the Blue Jays&#8217; Executive Chef, as he shares some secrets about a few of the player&#8217;s favourite foods. And while the idea of eating crumbled milk and cookies with a spoon isn&#8217;t exactly my cup of tea, if it keeps the MVP happy, I&#8217;m all for it.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Benoit&#8217;s 2016: No Joaquin the Park</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/28/benoits-2016-no-joaquin-the-park/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/28/benoits-2016-no-joaquin-the-park/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jul 2016 15:07:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Passador]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joaquin Benoit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=4962</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Despite the optics of trading for struggling relievers, the swap of pitchers Drew Storen and Joaquin Benoit is a good move for everyone involved. It might not be a transaction with a major impact, but the process behind it is sound. While it’s fair to speculate how much a change of scenery helps with losing two [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Despite the optics of trading for struggling relievers, the swap of pitchers Drew Storen and Joaquin Benoit is a good move for everyone involved. It might not be a transaction with a major impact, but the process behind it is sound. While it’s fair to speculate how much a change of scenery helps with losing two miles per hour off your fastball or losing control of the strike zone, both pitchers are best-served with fresher starts.</p>
<p>Of course, this year was already supposed to be a fresh start for Storen. He came to Toronto from Washington after he had his closer role usurped by Jonathan Papelbon and saw his performance drop. In the mix for the ninth inning role in spring training, Storen was beaten out by Roberto Osuna and was supposed to be the team’s top setup man. That, obviously, was not the case. A drop in velocity coupled with a high BABIP leaves Storen with a career worst mark in both hits and home runs per nine innings, both by a sizable margin. He might benefit from moving to a more pitcher-friendly park as well as some regression, but the Blue Jays don’t really have the time to see if he’ll figure things out this season.</p>
<p>Benoit was traded to Seattle after spending two strong years in San Diego. Unlike Storen, whose performance declined, Benoit was moved to net the Padres some more prospect capital. The right hander would also be given the chance to play for a team that was much closer to contention. That deal was supposed to help all parties&#8230;but Benoit faltered in a big way as a Mariner. Benoit comes to the Jays with a 5.18 ERA, easily the highest he’s ever posted in ten years as a full-time reliever. That’s better than Storen’s 6.21 mark, but hardly adequate in its own right.</p>
<p>In essence, this move is a no-lose situation because Storen was on the outs. Recently DFA’d, the team was set to lose him regardless; they wouldn’t be the beneficiaries of any bounce back either way. If Benoit ends up being better than Storen it’s a clear win. If he continues his tough season the Jays aren’t worse off than they were before.</p>
<p>But is there reason to believe that Benoit can return to form?</p>
<h1>The Bad</h1>
<p>The giant red flag with Benoit is his walk rate. He’s up to 6.03 BB/9 after two walks in yesterday’s Blue Jays debut. It was an issue early in his relief career, as he sported a 4.3 and 7.0 BB/9 in his first and third seasons coming out of the bullpen for Texas. On the other hand, Benoit has since never exceeded the 3.2 BB/9 he posted last year. In the aggregate, the lack of control this year seems very much like an outlier for someone who’s proven to be very effective out of the bullpen.</p>
<p>Beyond the walks, Benoit has already conceded 20 hits in 25.1 innings pitched, giving him a H/9 of 7.4; his highest mark in four seasons. He’s sporting a WHIP of 1.46 which would be by far the highest he’s posted since those troublesome years in Texas. Since 2010, his first year with a team other than the Rangers, he has a career WHIP of 0.94.</p>
<p>One thing that stands out seems to be Benoit’s slider. Over the nine years that BrooksBaseball has been gathering data, hitters have batted .165 against the slider but have hit .250 off of the pitch this season. His splitter has remained excellent (.105 opponent average) and while his fastball is higher than his career norm at .263 it’s not nearly as drastic as his struggles with the slider. Granted, that&#8217;s only an 86 pitch sample so it&#8217;s hard to say too much about the pitch one way or the other.</p>
<p>The other big issue is the fact that he’s surrendering a whopping 34.1 percent line drives on Balls in Play on his fastball, well above career norms:</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/BenoitLineDrives.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4964 " src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/BenoitLineDrives-1024x683.jpeg" alt="BenoitLineDrives" width="418" height="278" /></a></p>
<p>So hitters are squaring up his fastball and hitting his slider pretty well. His struggles aren’t necessarily BABIP driven, as this season’s .254 mark is in line with his career average as a reliever. The answer might lie in his pitch selection, as he&#8217;s relied on the fastball much more heavily than in recent past:</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/BenoitSelection.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4965 " src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/BenoitSelection-1024x683.jpg" alt="BenoitSelection" width="419" height="279" /></a></p>
<p>His fastballs are getting laced and he’s throwing them more frequently than he has in years past, perhaps in part because of his penchant for getting into three ball counts. He has faced 111 batters this season and gotten to three ball counts on 32 of them: 28.8 percent. Compounding the issue are his struggles getting ahead of hitters: 53 have seen a 1-0 count while only 49 have been at 0-1. Benoit is getting behind in counts and hitters can expect to see a fastball sooner or later. While it could be a simple fix, it might also be a sign of decline as he’s been trending down for three years running:</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/BenoitFirstPitch.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4966 " src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/BenoitFirstPitch.jpg" alt="BenoitFirstPitch" width="346" height="163" /></a></p>
<p>On his first pitch to left handers he’ll throw his fastball 59 percent of the time and his splitter 36 percent of the time. Right handed batters see 42 percent fastballs, 41 percent sliders and 14 percent splitters to start an at-bat. His splitter generates the most whiffs among his three pitches but also results in a ball 42 percent of the time and 60 percent of the time when it’s the first pitch of an at bat. Benoit’s splitter is a good pitch; just maybe not a good <em>first</em> pitch. It’s exacerbating his struggle to find the strike zone and setting him up to throw more fastballs later, much to the delight of opposing hitters.</p>
<h1>The Good</h1>
<p>The walks are troubling, but there’s some hope in Toronto. In a perfect world he’d follow the path of Jason Grilli and cut his walks way down upon joining the Jays. Grilli had a 6.9 BB/9 in 17 innings with the Braves but has only a 3.6 BB/9 in his 17.2 innings with Toronto. Whether there was a mechanical change or something to do with his approach that shifted upon heading north, Grilli improved. It’s hardly a guarantee that those results would transfer across pitchers but there could be a path forward here. If Toronto’s pitching coaches have found a way to cut way down on walks there could be a big payoff from Benoit.</p>
<p>One other positive sign is that his velocity is still there. His fastball is still 94 miles per hour, hitters have just done better at hitting it hard. That could be because of his change in pitch selection which in turn might be coming from his lack of command early in the count. No matter the cause, it’s not a case of Benoit losing his ability to overpower hitters with his heater.</p>
<p>Equally important is the fact that he’s striking out batters at a good clip. His 10.4 K/9 is right up there with his career-best seasons; he’s clearly maintained the stuff to put hitters away. If he can manage to get ahead more frequently he definitely has the ability to turn things around.</p>
<p>Last but not least, Benoit was diagnosed with <a href="http://m.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article/192026510/joaquin-benoit-adds-depth-to-blue-jays-pen/" target="_blank">shoulder soreness and inflammation</a>, which he felt limited his ability early in the season. If those troubles are behind him he’s almost surely due for a little bounce back.</p>
<p>So there are some issues with Benoit, but that doesn&#8217;t make the trade a bad one. His big bugaboo is one that the organization might have an idea of how to fix, if Jason Grilli&#8217;s recent success is to be believed. Everything else seems to be in place to make this a good value pickup. Joaquin Benoit has no doubt disappointed so far in 2016, but it&#8217;s within the realm of possibility that he looks a little bit more like the quality reliever he&#8217;s been in years past. As far as reclamation projects go, the Blue Jays could&#8217;ve done a lot worse. To get him without surrendering anything of value means the gamble is a worthwhile one.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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