Mariners Acquire Veteran Reliever Joaquin Benoit From Padres

As the general managers’ meetings concluded Thursday in Boca Raton, Fla., the Padres GM completed his second trade in as many days, sending setup man Joaquin Benoit to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects.

“He was a target for us as we went into the offseason”, Dipoto said.

Benoit, 38, was 6-5 with a 2.34 ERA in 67 appearances last season for San Diego. “He is obviously nearing 40 years old now, but just hasn’t lost his effectiveness, still continues to turn in quality performance year after year”.

Benoit held right-handed hitters to a. 144 batting average last season, the lowest batting average against of any National League pitcher to have faced at least 100 right-handed batters.

Benoit has experience both setting up and closing (he saved 24 games for Detroit in 2013), so the M’s will have a few flexibility in determining how to deploy him.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the trade and both the Mariners and Padres officially announced the move on Twitter shortly after.

Dipoto also said he didn’t think the acquisition of Benoit would be the last offseason addition to a Seattle bullpen that was one of the club’s weaknesses in 2015.

He is set to make $7.5 million in 2016, a hefty price for a non-closer.

The 19-year-old De Los Santos split time between rookie league and short-A ball last season and was 6-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 13 starts.

The Mariners drafted Ward in the 12 round in 2014, after his Junior season at the University of Georgia. The infielder logged games at second base, shortstop and third base and batted.278/.365/.436 with 81 runs scored, 9 home runs, 55 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 122 games between Class A Clinton and High Class A Bakersfield. He led all Mariners farmhands, while finishing T4th among all minor league players, with 13 triples.