ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that reliever Joaquin Benoit and the Detroit Tigers have reached a preliminary agreement on a $16.5 million, three-year contract.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal had not yet been announced.
The 33-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 1.34 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 60 1-3 innings this year as setup man for Rafael Soriano, who also became a free agent.
Agents Sam and Seth Levinson negotiated the agreement with the Tigers after reaching deals with Detroit for Braden Inge and Jhonny Peralta since the end of the season.