Benoit joins Phils, likely to pitch in eighth

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Joaquin Benoit became the newest member of the Phillies’ bullpen Tuesday.

But where will he pitch in 2017?

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Benoit, who signed a one-year, $7.5 million contract, has pitched most of his 15-year career in the eighth inning, although he has also closed. The safest bet is that he pitches in the eighth.

“One of the things that is appealing to us about Joaquin is he has pitched the sixth, he’s pitched the seventh, he’s pitched the eighth, he’s pitched the ninth, and he’s been good in all of those roles at various times throughout his career,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. “We feel better today than we did a few days ago that we have several players in our bullpen that can compete for the ninth, the eighth, the seventh, the sixth. We made our bullpen better.”

Benoit, 39, went a combined 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 51 appearances with the Mariners and Blue Jays last season. He posted a 5.18 ERA in 26 games for Seattle, but a 0.38 ERA in 25 appearances with Toronto. His season ended prematurely when he tore his left calf muscle …

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