Nationals' Joaquin Benoit: Reaches deal with Nationals

Benoit signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Nationals on Monday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports.

The 40-year-old reliever recorded a 4.65 ERA in 50.1 innings with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia last season. It was his worst ERA since 2008, but his 5.17 xFIP indicates that it was well deserved. His strikeout rate of 21.6 percent fell to exactly league average, though his fastball velocity took a slight uptick to 94.8 mph. His days of being a high-leverage reliever are probably over, but he may still have enough left in the tank to hold down a big-league job.