DECEMBER 28: The Padres have announced the deal. Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that Benoit will earn $6MM in 2014 and $8MM in 2015, and the deal includes an $8MM option for 2016 (with a $1.5MM buyout) that will vest if Benoit finishes 55 games in 2015.
DECEMBER 19: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Benoit's contract will be a two-year, $15.5MM contract once he passes his physical.
DECEMBER 19: The Padres and right-hander Joaquin Benoit are in agreement on a deal, pending a physical, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Talks between San Diego and the ACES client were said to be heating up earlier this morning.
The 36-year-old Benoit posted a 2.01 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 with 24 saves in 67 innings for the Tigers in 2013. Passan reported last week that the Padres and Indians were both discussing deals in the neighborhood of $14MM over two years with Benoit. Since that time, Cleveland appears to have moved on by inking John Axford to a one-year deal.
Benoit fills a need for the Padres by adding an experienced arm to the back of the bullpen now that Luke Gregerson has been traded to the Athletics. San Diego already has Huston Street under control for $7MM next season, making him the likely closer, but Benoit could step into the ninth inning in the event that the oft-injured Street winds up on the disabled list.
Injuries haven't been a problem for Benoit since he missed the 2009 season following surgery to repair his right rotator cuff. Since that time, Benoit has stayed off the disabled list entirely, averaging 65 innings per season and posting a brilliant 2.53 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 259 1/3 total innings of work. In that time, opponents have batted a mere .200/.258/.333 against Benoit.
The contract is a rarity for San Diego general manager Josh Byrnes, who has given just one multiyear pact to a reliever – Street's two-year, $14MM contract — in his time as a general manager. When I spoke to him at last month's GM meetings, Byrnes told me that he would be against signing a left-handed reliever to a multiyear pact, but he clearly didn't feel the same about right-handers, or at least about Benoit specifically.
In addition to Street, Benoit will join a mix of relievers that includes Dale Thayer, Nick Vincent, Tim Stauffer and Brad Boxberger. Left-hander Patrick Schuster, acquired in a trade with the Astros (who selected him in the Rule 5 Draft) could also get a chance to compete for a job. Byrnes is known to be on the lookout for a left-handed reliever.
As I noted when projecting a two-year, $16MM contract for Benoit in my free agent profile nearly two months ago, Benoit faced steep competition on this year's open market given the presence of Joe Nathan, Grant Balfour, Fernando Rodney, Brian Wilson and many other closer-type relievers. In spite of that competition, his agents at ACES look to have done well, as he will nearly match the $16.5MM guarantee on his last contract despite it being a three-year deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
It’s a good time to be a reliever.
Abandoning the whole “type A” thing really helped out guys like Benoit.
So the pads have gone out of their way to dissemble this bullpen and now they go and sign a 7 mily a year setup guy? How does this make sense?
Because he’s better than Gregerson. If Luke’s slider is only slightly off, he’s meat as proven several times last season.
Not $5 million dollars better. This is money in which they could have used to bolster an anemic offense.
They did bolster their offense,which was awful against RHP last year, by adding seth smith who kills righties. They had some wiggle room in the budget and In effect they traded gregerson for smith and benoit, which i think is a great trade that improves the bullpen marginally and our offense vs. RHP greatly
Will Smith start over Quentin or Venable? Not likely since both are much better at the plate and Venable in every aspect of the game. So they traded Gregerson for a 5th OF? I really dont see how that improves the offense vs RHP greatly. Maybe you can explain a little better how a guy that MAY get 60 starts and 300 AB in 2014 will do that.
The combined salary of Smith and Benoit will be over $12 million and Gregerson will be around $4.9 according to this site.
Gregerson has been marginally better in most advanced stats like FIP, tERA and SiERA and in stats like k/bb, hr/9 and WHIP, Add in the fact that Gregerson is 7 years younger and at best Benoit is as good as Gregerson.
So if you don’t like Smith, who were you planning on getting for that $7M you saved? Nate McLouth?
Not the question. The question is why trade an affordable, exceptional reliever for a bat that isnt going to start more than a game a week?
Personally, I think the Padres woes against RHP will be solved by health of Alonso (LHB), Headley (SW) and Grandal (SW) and the return of Cabrera (SW).
Their offense ranked 5th in the NL in OPS+, a park adjusted stats and 5th on the road in the NL in BA. I just dont think they need Smith at all.
I think you overrate Gregerson. 3 or more Padre relievers will have a better 2014 imo. Also if you know more about the situation you’d know he was in his last year and going to get around 5 million in arbitration. Padres decided to pay 2 million more for an 8th inning guy they wanted instead of their slider specialist who showed signs of dropping a notch or two.
Obviously Brynes really likes Smith’s bat. Unlike you I like what they’ve done creating a bench of Medica, Blanks, Smith, Denorfia, Forsythe, etc. Buddy Black in the NL does more in-game managing than most teams. A ton of double switches and pinch hitting and I think Smith will help and spell Quentin A LOT.
Well you point out that Smith and Benoit will make a combined $12M. I’m just curious who you thought you were going to get if the Padres kept Gregerson at $5M and signed someone else at $7M
I’ll take the over on 300 bats for Smith. But you’re really going out of your way to assume it’s a bad signing GUY. For one thing, do you actually expect Quentin to play half or close to 150 games? Also, Venable can slide to CF to get Smiths more at bats in the starting line-up if he earns them (Maybin who?) and the value of having Denorfia (lefty killer) and Smith (righty killer) on the bench for late game pinch hitting is an undervalued advantage for the NL team. Plus like many have stated, Padre fans expect Benoit > Gregerson. We now feel great about our 8th-9th end game; have strengthen our bench with guys who can actually hit and infield defensive depth with acquired guys like Jackson. Now you may think the line-up is anemic but I don’t think you watched many Padre games. The injured and suspended players are returning and they should contend out west.
Will Smith start over Quentin or Venable? Not likely since both are much better at the plate and Venable in every aspect of the game. So they traded Gregerson for a 5th OF? I really dont see how that improves the offense vs RHP greatly. Maybe you can explain a little better how a guy that MAY get 60 starts and 300 AB in 2014 will do that.
The combined salary of Smith and Benoit will be over $12 million and Gregerson will be around $4.9 according to this site.
Gregerson has been marginally better in most advanced stats like FIP, tERA and SiERA and in stats like k/bb, hr/9 and WHIP, Add in the fact that Gregerson is 7 years younger and at best Benoit is as good as Gregerson.
Seth Smith’s OPS vs RHP in 2013: .748. Not exactly “killing” it for a corner OF.
I could not agree more.
Gregerson will be paid ~$5 million this year, so Benoit is only getting $2 million more
But he is also 36 as opposed to Gregerson’s 29
True, but that’s not what you said. You brought up their salaries, and you were misinformed about what Luke would be making. Age is definitely still a factor, but it’s less important with relievers. And Benoit has been a better pitcher the last 2 years.
Benoit was not better in 2012.
Or 2013
Benoit has not been a better pitcher over the past 2 seasons according to advanced metrics like FIP, tERA, and SiERA.
Not even according to ERA (Benoit 2.87 vs Gregerson 2.54) and WHIP (Benoit 1.087 vs Gregerson 1.051).
Benoit will make $7.75 million according to this article while this site says Gregerson will make $4.9 million and other sites are estimating $4.75 million. That is a $2.85 to 3 million difference.
Please take a look at the facts before pointing a finger at someone else.
Age doesn’t really matter when you only have some one under a one or two year deal. If you give some one a 7 year deal then you would be concerned about age.
dude, what makes you think a reliever is not good at 36 yrs of age?..if anything, the fact that he’s 36, works to his advantage because he’s not pitching 9 innnings.
Gregerson’s stuff is HITTABLE…bottom line. He was never really lights out, anyways….and he was getting more and more expensive. You dont wanna keep a guy like that, who hitters are very familiar with, and pay him a raise that wont be worth a damn when he gets lit up on a nightly basis. Just sayin..
I don’t dislike the signing, but it was necessary after Byrnes shipped Gregerson off for a bag of rocks–so now they needed to overpay an aging veteran with similar stuff instead of getting someone who could drive in runs.
Statistically Benoit and Gregerson are interchangeable (for ex. hits per 9 innings there is a .03 diff,) – so age and durability factor into overall value. I like the familiarity argument, but I don’t think it is enough to sway me to think that they should have kept Gregerson and invested in a bat that could actually crack the starting 8.
Perhaps you should give the bag of rocks a chance before your throw them back in the lake. May have found a diamond in the rough
How exactly is he hittable? He limited hitters to a .174 BA and .261 slg % in the 2nd half last season when according to your logic he should have been hit harder than his .203 for the season.
His stats over the past two years are better than Benoit in ERA, WHIP, K/BB, HR/9, H/9, FIP, tERA and SiERA, even fielding independent stats and park adjusted stats. He will also make $2.85 to $3 million less in 2014. Just sayin.
Show me where Gregerson has been hittable. You’re just trying to come up with excuses. He was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball while in San Diego, and his stats back that up. Nothing suggests that he was getting hit around or getting worse, etc.
Watching him pitch on a regular basis suggested that he was easy to hit; less consistent and becoming shaky. Padre fans agree with this statement which is why we prefer Benoit; we do agree though that we should have got more in return based on his numbers.
Facts are facts and opinions are opinions. The facts say Gregerson was not hittable and got better as the season went along. The facts say that 2013 was the 2nd best season of Gregerson’s career and at 29 he is not likely to decline. (Now if he was 36 they would point most decidedly towards a decline)
But please, dont let small things like facts get in the way of your opinion.
By the way, who is we? Who exactly are those Padre fans. I am a Padres fan and I prefer to have Gregerson over Smith and to have BOTH Benoit and Gregerson, but if I could only have one I would prefer the younger, cheaper and slightly more effective pitcher.
This site says Gregerson will get $4.9 million in arbitration while other sites are saying $4.75 million. Benoit is getting $7.75 million according to this article.
When you take into account park factors-it wasn’t anemic and given the injury factor…..where would you play someone new?
The Pads could stand to upgrade every position…no sacred cows. What they have are a collection of passable, generally competent players. As much as I like Venable, Quentin, Alonzo, and Headley etc…there are much better options out there. It is obvious that what they have nets them 70-75 wins.
Gyorko 2B…no upgrade needed!
IF he is better, is Benoit $3+ million better? Will he be better at 37 and 38 years old? Those are important questions.
Gregerson was better in advanced metrics like FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), tERA, and SiERA (the best predictive pitching stat) in 2013 as well as stats like k/bb, hr/9 and WHIP.
Gregerson is also 7 years younger. While Benoit can reasonably be expected to decline over the next two seasons, Gregerson is in his prime.
Advanced stats points to Gregerson being a better pitcher today and going forward. Benoit’s age points to an inevitable decline in performance, so even if he was better in the past, the future has to be called into question.
Also if the slider is the question, Benoit’s best pitch and his “out pitch” is his slider. According to Pitch F/X Gregerson has a better slider.
Granted, Gregerson threw his slider more than 50% of the time, its still better than Benoit’s FB or slider.
Personally i would take Benoit over Gregerson, but i dont think you can make a case that there is a huge gap between them in either direction.
What would you rather they spent this money on? They came into the offseason needing to upgrade vs right-handed pitching, and in the starting rotation, and they have done both.
They have basically stood pat in the bullpen, and paid a little more money to do it, but i think it is worth it with the upgrades we have gotten elsewhere as a result.
I agree that we should be much better vs RHP just based on the health of our players this year, but i also think smith was a great pickup to add some more balance to our lineup.
I for one do not expect to see all 5 of our outfielders (especially Quentin and Maybin) healthy on the field all year, and will not be the least bit surprised to see smith get 400-500 ABs.
This makes the Smith-Gregerson deal OK.
Hmm, really? Gregerson is the basically the same statistically as Benoit AND cheaper and the Padres got (at best) a platoon/4th OF.
I feel they just got a veteran which they do not have many of at this time and with post season experience (though his 2013 postseason was not pretty). It will be nice from Joaquin and Huston (and even Thayer) to lead this very young bullpen.
Benoit>Gregerson
For $5 million/year more? I don’t necessarily agree, given how supposedly financially frugal this team is and their ability to churn out and develop high quality relievers like it’s nothing. I like Benoit, but he seems like an unnecessary luxury.
Gregerson is slated to get $5 mil in arbitration this year, so it’s only $2 mil more per year.
$7.75 million for Benoit. $4.75-4.9 million for Gregerson.
The actual figures are $2.85 to $3 million.
Gregerson is slated to get $5 mil in arbritration this year, so he’ll only be $2 mil cheaper than Benoit. And Benoit has been better than Gregerson the past 2 years, so that’s a worthy price to pay.
Benoit has not been a better pitcher over the past 2 seasons according to ERA (Benoit 2.87 vs Gregerson 2.54) and WHIP (Benoit 1.087 vs Gregerson 1.051).
He has also not been better in FIP, tERA, or SiERA or k/bb or hr/9.
Benoit will make $7.75 million according to this article while this
site says Gregerson will make $4.9 million and other sites are
estimating $4.75 million. That is a $2.85 to 3 million difference in price.
So help us understand why you think its a worthy price to pay.
People could bring out all the stats in the world, but the fact is Gregerson struggled when he didn’t have his slider. Yes, that could be true of every pitcher, but Gregerson doesn’t have any other pitch he could rely on except that slider. People who actually watched him pitch last year have seen that. Is Benoit worth $2million more? No….definitely not
In what way specifically? I cant seem to find any.
Not a fan of this deal. If you consider Benoit and Gregerson statistically even and you are now paying Benoit $5M more a season to do the same thing…then what is OK…that they added Smith? He puts as much fear into pitchers (considering the Pads were looking for a solid left handed bat) as Enzo Hernandez!! AND…considering everyone in the division has markedly improved their rosters, you are not looking at a lot of games for Benoit to set up!
Why does everyone keep insisting that Gregerson is going to be paid $2 million? He stands to make 3 million more through arbitration.
And they’re paying Huston Street for…what…
I like this signing. It reduces the game to 6 innings given the trio of Street – Benoit – Vincent. A lot has to go right for the Padres to be competitive for a Wild Card, but its not out of the discussion. Cabrera will be key, if he can produce like he did prior to his suspension, and the Padres do not get hit with the injury bug like last year, they can be in the hunt.
To close games. He can’t close games if some one blows it in the eight inning. This ensures that he will get more opportunities.
… closing. Thanks for watching the games Ben!
Street is the incumbent closer until he takes another trip to DL like he always does. Gregerson didn’t really flash in the closer role for the last couple of seasons and had to share the role with Thayer sometimes. They’re hoping that Benoit could be the guy to fill in when Street is gone.
Dude has pitched well since 2009 – hope that arm stays healthy.
Hey, at least he’s making less than Boone Logan.
Not really. Logan got $16.5 over 3 years and Benoit got #15.5 over 2 years.
Are the Padres ever going to pay for a feared bat? Quentin is not feared, that is why he gets plunked year after year. As a fan I am happy with the pitching, just do not see how runs will be produced.
Who did you want them to sign? Were there any ‘feared bats’ out there? Beltran is old. Cano couldn’t have been had. Trade for Trumbo? no thanks.
I think we all know they aren’t going to be in play for guys like Cano but where we get frustrated is that we have a “deep” farm system or so they say. Why not use some of those resources to go get a Stanton, Billy Butler, or a Dominic Brown? Someone who will strike some fear in opposing pitchers. Who in our lineup do we have that pitchers fear or pitch around?
Dominic brown had one good year in Philly (shoebox) and isn’t a good defender. Stanton isn’t on the market or we would have to way overpay for him with the strong possibility of not bein able to extend him.
I have a feeling Smith is going to better than everyone thinks. Just a hunch.
Brown hit a towering moon shot to deep right center and had a very good defensive play in left field, both of those things happened at a series in PetCo last season.
Brown might not be a savior, but he’s almost exactly what the Padres need.
Wow, he hit one ball and made one play and that says that he is a stud? Brown may turn into a very good player, he certainly has the bat, but he is not a good defender and has had one decent season. Don’t get ahead of yourself.
Are those guys even available? Butler’s a DH so I don’t see how he’s a fit
Brown has been on the block as has Butler…Stanton, could be had if we blew them away. Butler does mostly DH but I think can play in LF if needed. My point is that there are bats to be had in the trade market whether one of these guys or someone else so to trade for Smith and say he is the big bat we need is ridiculous. I’m not saying he’s a bad player but come on, don’t try to sell us on the fact that he is going to make us a playoff team. Just tired of the F/O feeding us all this garbage
There is a reason that Butler never even sees the field, he makes Quentin and Smith look like Gold Glovers out there.
I agree that Smith is not the big bat the Padres fans want.
Not quite sure if Brown or Butler “strike fear” into opposing pitchers.
Stanton will take big chunk out of the farm system, which isn’t as attractive as everyone makes it out to be, since the guys are either too young or injured. I don’t know if billy butler can play 1st base everyday. Domonic brown is good and could be the one we need, but the Phillies wouldn’t want to give up their only young talent.
Its fans like you that enable ownership to get away with thievery. There are big bats out there, how about Nelson Cruz or perhaps Kendrys Morales?
Fans like me let them get away with thievery? No, I just understand the San Diego market and what they can afford. Would I love for them to get Cruz? You bet. Morales isn’t a good enough defender. Having Quentin and Morales or Cruz in the OF would be a bad move.
The Padres can not afford to get someone like that. That money will end up going to Headley if they sign him.
Also, the Padres are not going to sign a guy with a qualifying offer and lose a top 15 draft pick.
They could absolutely afford someone like that. Benoit + Smith = around 13 mil. Someone like Granderson got 15 mil a season. So it’s in the same ballpark. They just refuse to do it.
There’s something called contract years. Cruz will want more years, and the club will have to pay him more money for more years. And seriously, what hitter would want to come over here, unless he’s grossly overpaid? I’d rather have venable who can at least play defense.
Fans like you need to realize that Nelson Cruz is not even an average player anymore and Kendrys Morales should never step foot near first base again. Its not thievery, its intelligence.
He actually gets plunked because his elbow ends up basically over the plate when the ball crosses it. (I’m a White Sox fan so I watched for years).
Good luck to him in SD, we’ll miss him in Detroit. He was a soft-spoken, solid pitcher who really stepped up for us last year in a position of desperation.
One grooved pitch to Big Papi (Game 2 ALCS) cost him an extension with the Tigers. Simple as that.
His stats matched Nathan’s the last couple years… and he is younger and signed for less money. Without that one pitch, he likely signs with the Tigers for the same amount as the Nathan deal.
It’s not like Ortiz got all of that pitch either. That short wall definitely helped. If it were at Comerica, I think Hunter makes the catch or it’s off the wall…
I actually looked that up using the ESPN ball park overlay. Comerica’s fence in RF is a lot closer than you may think v. Fenway. The point were the ball landed is just about the point were the wall in Comerica diagonally flairs deeper. One foot to the right and it may have been a HR, one foot to the left and it may have been be off the wall or even caught in Comerica.
I will go with a 3 run double (with the Red Sox still trailing by a run) if it were in Detroit.
I hope this means NYY ends up signing Rodney, its time their fans experienced the breath taking excitement of not having Mariano closing.
So basically the Padres are going to pay two relievers 18% or so of the total payroll assuming the payroll stays relatively flat ($70M) over 2013. Meanwhile, the lineup is filled with average to below average power guys and really nothing that puts fear into opposing teams’ pitchers.
Exactly. Hope they are prepared for an empty Petco park and another boring team with no playoff appearance.
Payroll will be approaching $90 million this year. Largest in team history.
No, that is not true. You are saying that they are going to add over $20 million? Oy vey
Except it is true. Adding FAs Johnson and Benoit, arbitration raises for Headley and Kennedy, plus the salaries of Quentin and Street are what cause the number to jump.
Yet the team currently isn’t any better than they were going into the offseason. Arbitration raises shouldn’t count. Go out and sign or trade for a legit offensive player.
Who, exactly, is this magical legit offensive player that we could go out and sign for Benoit money or someone who is available in trade that would make us significantly better w.o us having to give up our entire farm for. Also, arbitration raises count whether you like it or not. They make current players more expensive, which raises payroll. Why, pray tell, should those raises not count when calculating payroll cost? You are living in the classic disgruntled padres fan fantasy world, where if only we overpaid for Trumbo or some other homer clubbing player with glaring defensive and OBP liabilities we’d magically be an eternal WS contender.
Benoit and Smith come out to about 13 mil. There were plenty of offensive players in that range.
You would still have to deduct Gregerson’s salary from the 13 million if you want an accurate number on how much the Pads have to spend on a “power” bat. Looking at the available FA’s, there’s really nobody too appealing. Benoit and Smith serve two purposes within this ball club which needed addressed. I, for one, was not too happy with Gregerson’s progress. Benoit is a good addition at an additional 2 mil per year.
Its an additional 2.85 to 3 million depending on whether Gregerson gets the 4.9 in arbitration this site is estimating or the 4.75 other sites are estimating.
You would still have to deduct Gregerson’s salary from the 13 million if you want an accurate number on how much the Pads have to spend on a “power” bat. Looking at the available FA’s, there’s really nobody too appealing. Benoit and Smith serve two purposes within this ball club which needed addressed. I, for one, was not too happy with Gregerson’s progress. Benoit is a good addition at an additional 2 mil per year.
Youre forgetting that without smith we’d still have Gregerson, who will cost almost exactly the same as Smith in arbitration, so your point is completely invalid. $7M might have got us Nate Mclouth or some other slightly above average OF. That’s not going to push us over the top. All I hear from uninformed pad fans is “sign a big bat”. What big bat? This has been one of the thinnest free agent crops of position players and ESPECIALLY legit all around power bats. The Padres have been doing what they can with the $ they have and the market conditions surrounding them and personally I believe thst so far they’ve been at the very least competent, if not outright shrewd.
As I’ve been saying to ppl like you all offseason, give me one FA position player that the padres could have signed w the money at their disposal that would have dramatically improved our lineup. One name. That’s all I ask. Not one person has been able to give me a reasonable, affordable player that would seriously improve our lineup as a whole.
Carlos Beltran, Nelson Cruz, Curtis Granderson, etc. And don’t tell me the team couldn’t afford them. Benoit and Smith will make about 13 mil. Add Josh Johnson and that’s about 21 mil. Take away Gregerson and that’s still about 16 mil. They needed offense more than pitching this offseason. Could have and should have been done. I would rather have Beltran or Granderson and Gregerson than Benoit, Smith, and Johnson.
Why? Pitching was the Padres biggest need. That and health.
I wouldn’t mind having granderson, but he wanted to stay in New York. And we need guy who can hit RHP, which takes Cruz out of the equation. Only guy left is Beltran who would be a liability defensively, not to mention that Beltran also wanted to play in New York.
“Raising payroll” should mean going out and signing players that can show the fans that you are serious about winning. Arbitration raises to players that didn’t perform well last season do absolutely nothing to raise excitement or trick the fans to think that means the Padres aren’t cheap.
Fact check please. Quentin’s salary is the same as in 2013.
I know, just saying the sum of all those things I listed bring the payroll up
They were going to be pretty close to $80 million without adding anyone. Increases in salaries of players already under contract like Maybin, Hundley etc and increases in salary due to arbitration.
Adding Johnson and Benoit increases that to around $90 million.
Ok, I see that it appears the Padres are going to be closer to $80 million this year. Either way, using that extra money to bring in a setup guy still makes little to no sense.
This will turn out to be a difference making move for the Padres in 2014. Takes the pressure off all those young arms. I LOVE this signing as a Padres fan. Oh baby.
Benoit also gives the Padres a reliable closer when Street gets hurt this season. That in itself makes this deal worth it to me.
Exactly Beersy!. You got it.
Paying nearly 8 mil a season for a setup guy is a bad idea, especially when you’re a cheap organization like the Padres. If you’re not going to get a quality bat, use some of that money to sign a lefty for the pen. All of this could have been prevented if the Padres had kept the younger, cheaper, and better pitcher 2 out of the last 3 seasons in Gregerson!
Amen!
The Padres have quality bats, they just can’t seem to get them all in the lineup at the same time. If the injury bug can somehow stay away, this group could sursprise.
I like Benoit, I think he is without a doubt a very good reliever and has the potential to be one of the best set-up men in the game. But this deal does not make much sense to me as a Padres fan. Time and time again this team has given off the impression that we are cash-strapped. Moreover, we are renowned for growing and developing high quality relievers out of thin air at minimal cost. (See Linebrink, Cla Meredith, Ernesto Frieri, Otsuka, Thatcher, Adams, Bell, Gregerson,
I understand when people say Benoit is better than Gregerson, and undoubtedly I agree based purely on talent/performance. But when you have issues offensively and are supposedly on a limited budget, why offer this kind of deal? Just seems to be this is an unnecessary luxury that while may be nice, is not one of need.
I agree. They absolutely refuse to spend money to upgrade the offense, yet have no problem throwing money at a relief pitcher that isn’t even going to close. It makes no sense!
Pitching is what wins. Offense is nice, but it only matters if you have solid pitching, which includes a solid bullpen. The Padres got better today.
In what way exactly did they get better? It wasnt in pitching since Gregerson was better in almost every way over the past two seasons.
A run is a run. A run saved is the same as a run scored. Neither hitting nor pitching are more important, the only thing that fluctuates is the value of such thing depending on availability.
Its pretty bad when people think the Padres are throwing money around when they sign a pitcher to an annual salary of $7.5 million lol. That said, the Padres absolutely got the most bang for that $7.5 million dollar buck. I wish they had signed a stronger bench piece, but the Padres will be in the hunt with a strong pitching staff and defense. If the Padres don’t get hit with injury to their position starters, they will be in the hunt for a Wild Card berth.
How many setup guys are getting paid 8 mil a season? So yes, paying a relief pitcher that isn’t going to close that amount of money is throwing money around. And pitching doesn’t matter if you can’t score runs. The bullpen might be slightly better now, but the offense hasn’t been upgraded.
And hitting doesn’t matter when you give up runs lol
How many setup guys are getting paid 8 mil a season? So yes, paying a relief pitcher that isn’t going to close that amount of money is throwing money around. And pitching doesn’t matter if you can’t score runs. The bullpen might be slightly better now, but the offense hasn’t been upgraded.
Its pretty bad when people think the Padres are throwing money around when they sign a pitcher to an annual salary of $7.5 million lol. That said, the Padres absolutely got the most bang for that $7.5 million dollar buck. I wish they had signed a stronger bench piece, but the Padres will be in the hunt with a strong pitching staff and defense. If the Padres don’t get hit with injury to their position starters, they will be in the hunt for a Wild Card berth.
Benoit will close because Street will get injured, that just seems to be a fact of life. In the past Black seemed aprehensive to have Gregerson close when the regular closer was injured, so being able to run a guy out there who has preformed well in the heat of a pennant race should only help this team. And I believe Street is a free agent after this season, so Benoit will take over regular duties next year.
Padres have a $7 million option on Street for 2015 and will undoubtedly pick up the option if he pitches anywhere close to what he did in 2013.
Benoit has exactly one season as a part time closer, so I would think he would continue to do what he has always done – setup.
As you saw in 2010 the offense only needs to be average with a strong pitching staff to compete. That is exactly what this offense will be if everyone stays healthy. Sidenote that list of names was a great blast from the past.
Actually, the offense will be well above average if they have the same injuries as they had in 2013 when they ranked 5th in the NL in OPS+ (a park adjusted stat) and 5th in BA on the road. Obviously they can hit, Petco just puts a huge damper on home stats. Only the Mets and Marlins had a harder park to hit in.
If Quentin can start more than 69 games in 2014 and Maybin, Cabrera, Alonso and Grandal are healthy the Padres have a top 5 offensive team again.
The Padres are fine tuning at great expense. I cannot complain!!!
If the Padres are healthy (or not suspended), they have a good offense.
Luke Gregerson- 66.1 innings in 73 games, 4 saves, 8.68 K/9, 70.4 left on base %, 2.71 era, 1.0 wins above replacement in 2013
Joaquin Benoit- 67 innings in 66 games, 24 saves, 9.81 K/9, 87.3 left on base %, 2.01 era, 1.6 wins above replacement in 2013
Benoit’s contract is a bridge until the guys in the system are ready. Also his deal will be cheaper than what Gregerson will get next off season.
Gregerson was better in FIP, tERA, SiERA, k/bb, hr/9, whip and bb/9 in 2013.
They were almost exactly even in BAA.
Expand that to the past 2 seasons and Gregerson was better in ERA and BAA.
So your point is?
At best the Padres are paying $2.85-3.0 million more for a lateral move.
My point is Benoit is 36 and got 2 years. Gregerson is 29 and will expect a long term deal for roughly 7-8 mill a year. The padres have too many young arms in the system to give Gregerson 4-5 years. Instead of trading the young arms, who will be cheaper internal solutions, in a package deal for something they’re keeping them for something they want rather than lose someone in the rule 5 draft or trade them at low value due to being blocked. Gregerson also failed miserably in the closer role when street was hurt; Benoit actually brings closer experience if street gets hurt something the padres did not have on their roster they felt comfortable with.
Wow, I have not read one thing or spoken to one person who has even intimated that Gregerson was asking for $7-8 million and 4-5 years.
In fact, everything I have been reading has said he has been asking for a 3 year extension at around $15 million and is expected to get just $4.75-4.9 million in arbitration.
Now if he makes it to FA he very well may get a 2-3 year deal at $7-8 million per season and be worth every penny.
Gregerson had 4 save opportunities in the 9th inning in 2013. He saved all 4 of them, He had an ERA of 2.48 in his 9 save opportunities overall. If that is failing miserably, I want a whole bullpen of failures.
Benoit has exactly one season as a part time closer. He has always been a setup man prior to June of last season.
Gregerson isn’t asking for 3-4 year deals lol…. I agree I dunno where that came from. However, Gregerson had, at times, struggled to finish the inning when his slider didn’t work well. It doesn’t show up on era cuz he didn’t give up runs and got out unscathed fortunately, but there definitely were criticisms during the season while he struggled.
You’re continuously wrong in your evaluation and comparison of Benoit/Gregerson. Truth is you’re low balling Gregerson’s pay based on mlbtraderumor articles (he could get closer to 6 million based on his #’s) and you’re unwilling to accept the truth that Gregerson isn’t as good as his stat lines. Most of the time he came in with runners on base and they weren’t charged to him and when he got in jams guys like Thatcher would come in for the final out. So you’re going to see a spike in his #’s across the board with everyone in the AL sitting on his slider. Regardless, you’ll understand by the allstar break why they opted to trade him instead of holding for 1 last season and signing someone like McClouth, but you won’t come back to say I told you so but I have :p
The more important question….who’s getting booted off the 40 man? I think it will be Asencio or Medica…more likely Asencio
I don’t think they’ll release/DFA anybody. Probably a trade.
They had better hurry cuz I don’t think they can officially announce the trade until they make a move. I would be ok if the did something with Guzman. Blanks is the exact same player, but I have to say Guzman is more clutch with the big hit!
Trade just went down. Guzman to the Astros
Makes sense. I assume Amarista will be next since Jackson is the same player, but a better defender.
Jackson was added to the 40 man so they still need to make a move.
This is a major head scratcher. Padres trade one of the best setup men in the game for a 5th OF and then sign a 37 year old reliever to a 2 year deal for much. much more money.
Gregerson was only 29 and has been a better pitcher the past 2 seasons. He is expected to make $4.9 million according to this sites arbitration estimates.
What can Byrnes be thinking?
This signing is a beautiful sight
I’m happy tonight
Joaquin in a winter wonderland
Is it just me or is the salary gap between “closers” and good middle relief kind of narrowing? It seems like guys like Joe Smith and Javier Lopez are getting similar contracts to Balfour and Benoit
Benoit is closing in SD? what is Street going to do?
Notice closers is in quotes? Did Rafael Soriano signing with the Yankees in 2012 make him any less of a closer? Did JJ Putz getting traded to the Mets in 2009 make him any less of a closer?
Both Benoit and Balfour are 36. Benoit was closer for less than a year, and Balfour for only 2 years in a pitchers park. None of them are the kind of closer you drop big money on. They are too old and don’t have the track record at closer.
I get that. It was more of a comment that middle relief prices are clearly rising but closing prices are relatively the same to where they always were. Nathan didn’t really get a contract that broke the bank, although you can say that was because of age
Btw, MLBTR just wrote an entire analysis of the 2013 closer market compared to 2012. That was more or less what I was getting at (I wonder if someone read my comment and looked into it)
I find the discussions above quite entertaining. For years Padres fans have complained the Padres don’t/won’t spend money on the team and then the second they do the same fans are up in arms on how they spent it. Would you rather have a Pijols or Cano contract that would financially ruin this franchise for the next 10 years? These same fans stay away from Petco saying that they will come out if the Padres are contenders, but when they did contend in 2010 they used the excuse that 2-1 wins aren’t exciting. I personally could care less if the Padres won every game 1-0, if they have a shot at the playoffs I would be ecstatic. I for one am going to hope that Byrnes and Hinch know more about baseball than all of us on this site because if not, it’s a shame there aren’t enough GM openings in baseball to employ us all.
Couldn’t* care less. And idk about Pujols or Cano but I did want us to sign someone respectable to fill that left-handed outfielder role we needed. Like someone who regularly puts up solid numbers and is somewhat well known, not Seth Smith.
Big money, but a prudent move. Statistics aside, gregerson just was not a stud. The org seemed to lack faith in him in the closer’s role, and your setup guy should be option B for that position.
For everyone saying Padres offense stinks…well, i think we will see differently this year. Lineup was in totally different form with/without e. cabrera in the lineup. And yes, I know, steroids…
Projected lineup.
1. E Cabrera 285/360/410
2. Alonso 280/350/400
3. Headley 275/360/440
4. 120 games of Quentin/ 40 games of S. Smith and K. Blanks 270/330/450
5. Gyorko 275/330/470
6. Venable/Denorfia/S. Smith 250/340/440
7. Maybin/Venable/Denorfia 250/320/415
8. Hundley/Grandal 250/300/400
9. Cashner/Ross/Luebke/Josh Johnson/Eric Stults/Robbie Erlin
bench: S. Smith, Blanks, Denorfia, one of Hundley/Grandal, Amarista, Forsythe
Bullpen: Street, Benoit, Vincent, Thayer, Stauffer, Boxberger, Schuster
That is a solid and unspectacular lineup, but it can be above league average if Cabrera, Alonso, Gyorko. and Venable continue normal progression, and Headley doesn’t tank out of the gate like he did after being injured in spring training 2013. That’s not too many crazy “ifs” to propose. A truly competent pitching stafff from top to bottom, although many are not respected names or long-established guys. Question marks include Schuster, Josh Johnson’s health, Grandal’s recovery, and and Maybin’s role. Even without those guy’s performing, there are good bodies around to slot in. We will be without 300+ at bats of Guzman’s 230, 300, 390 special.
The Pads are an unconventional team, and Byrnes has to take an unconventional approach. He seems to be doing just that.
Don’t forget Ian Kennedy in the roto.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Maybin starting!? That guy is a joke. Denorfia and Venable are both 10x the player he is. I remember when Denorfia was batting over .300 and Maybin was batting below .200 and they still started Maybin. That was just pathetic. At the very least, Deno should always start against left handed pitchers. Against righties, sometimes if CQ is injured. But they should not under any circumstances play Maybin over Deno or Venable. Ever.
Maybin played in 14 games in 2013 with an injury that should have kept him out of the entire season. It is an injury that the Padres were aware that he had when they traded for him and it got progressively worse until it required surgery.
He is still only 25 years old.
In his 1st two seasons with the Padres he hit .253 with 17 hr, 66 sb and top 3 defense in the NL in CF.
While he was doing that Venable hit .255 with 18 hr and 60 sb with above average defense in RF.
Not much difference there, except that Maybin played superior defense in a more difficult position.
Maybin will start in CF. Of that there is no doubt.
If, if, if, if, if. If everyone has a career year, the Padres will be good. It’s not a good lineup. Compare it to the other NL west teams.
Had better offense than Arizona and Colorado in terms of team ops+
Certainly appears baseball is changing. I would like the idea of a 6 man rotation too, which I’m guessing is coming very shortly.
Yes, because there is such an abundance of SP’s already…are you serious? most teams are lucky to have 2-3 decent arms…let alone 6…please stop
It seems to make sense for a team that has as many pitchers coming off abbreviated seasons, rehab, and so forth from previous years.