Armando Benitez has come to that point in his career where he's no longer considered an effective closer, and must accept minor league deals in hopes of a middle relief/set-up job to stay in the league. So even though the Blue Jays have a closer in B.J. Ryan, Benitez was more than willing to take his career north of the border, signing with Toronto.The Jays obviously think that he might be able to help their middle relief corps, which includes Scott Downs, Jeremy Accardo, and Casey Janssen. But Benitez was positively awful in '07, going 2-8 with 17 saves and a 5.37 ERA with the Giants and Marlins, while maintaining his propensity for melting down in big spots. Being a set-up guy, he would see many of the same situations as a closer would ... and sometimes tougher situations. And with Benitez's weight always having the potential to wreck havoc with his knee, it's another case of buyer beware (be-very-ware).
Note: Even though he's a reliever and not a starter, it's worth noting that Armando Benitez has a contract while Kyle Lohse is still unemployed. While not knowing if Lohse is pricing himself out of the market, something is still very wrong with a world where Benitez lands a contract before Lohse.
