San Diego Padres Ditch 32-Year-Old Pitcher After Promising Season
The San Diego Padres have parted ways with 32-year-old left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin, just months after he was signed by the team. The decision comes as the Padres look to retool their roster and focus on building a more consistent postseason contender.
Benjamin's time with the Padres was marked by flashes of brilliance, including a standout performance where he held Round Rock to one run over seven innings. However, overall, his ERA of 6.42 across 22 starts for the El Paso Chihuahuas was underwhelming, and he struggled to find consistency in his major league career.
Despite showing promise during his time in the Pacific Coast League, Benjamin's big league experience with the Texas Rangers had been marred by a 6.80 ERA over 21 total games. However, his decision to sign with the Padres seemed like a fresh start for the 32-year-old, who has spent eight years in the Rangers organization.
It appears that the Padres did not see Benjamin as part of their long-term solution. With their brief playoff run and championship win by arch-rivals Los Angeles Dodgers, the team is now looking to make significant moves to bolster its rotation depth. While Benjamin's release may be seen as a minor move, it highlights the challenge the Padres face in finding reliable starting pitchers.
For Benjamin, this decision marks a setback in his attempt to revive his major league career. He will now have to start over in the minors and prove himself all over again if he wants to earn another shot at the big leagues.
The San Diego Padres have parted ways with 32-year-old left-handed pitcher Wes Benjamin, just months after he was signed by the team. The decision comes as the Padres look to retool their roster and focus on building a more consistent postseason contender.
Benjamin's time with the Padres was marked by flashes of brilliance, including a standout performance where he held Round Rock to one run over seven innings. However, overall, his ERA of 6.42 across 22 starts for the El Paso Chihuahuas was underwhelming, and he struggled to find consistency in his major league career.
Despite showing promise during his time in the Pacific Coast League, Benjamin's big league experience with the Texas Rangers had been marred by a 6.80 ERA over 21 total games. However, his decision to sign with the Padres seemed like a fresh start for the 32-year-old, who has spent eight years in the Rangers organization.
It appears that the Padres did not see Benjamin as part of their long-term solution. With their brief playoff run and championship win by arch-rivals Los Angeles Dodgers, the team is now looking to make significant moves to bolster its rotation depth. While Benjamin's release may be seen as a minor move, it highlights the challenge the Padres face in finding reliable starting pitchers.
For Benjamin, this decision marks a setback in his attempt to revive his major league career. He will now have to start over in the minors and prove himself all over again if he wants to earn another shot at the big leagues.
, teams always talk about rebuilding & finding young talent but then they just cut off a 32-year-old guy who's been around for 8 yrs 
... like what's the point of having all that minor league experience if you're gonna just send him down again? 
Wes Benjamin was actually pretty talented in his time with the Rangers, I mean he had some great games too 
. Now it's like, does he just need another year or 2 to get it together? 
It's tough on guys like him who have been around for a minute, they've got families and bills to pay too 
. The Padres are always saying they want to be competitive but is it all just hype? 
The Padres are trying to build a solid team and it's clear they see Wes Benjamin as more of a temporary fix rather than part of their long-term plan 
. The Padres' move makes sense on paper but it's gotta be tough for Benjamin to start over again in the minors 
️. You feel me? They're trying to build a team that can compete with the Dodgers and other big teams, so they have to make some tough decisions 
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. At this point, it's clear that he's not the answer to their rotation problems.
. Still, it shows that the Padres are willing to take a hard look at their roster and make changes - even if it means letting go of someone who showed promise in the past.
another major leaguer bit the dust. like, what's up with these 32-year-old pitchers? can't they just make it work for a bit longer than a season? benjamin was all over the place, but i guess that's what happens when you're not getting the love and resources you need to thrive. the padres are trying to build a consistent contender, so yeah, they gotta make some tough decisions like this one. 
he had some decent moments but those 6.80 e ra games with rangers kinda set him back... i think the padres made a smart move tho, they cant have someone holding them back in the playoffs 
especially with dodgers being their arch rivals lol. still sad for him tho, gotta start over in minors and prove himself all over again 
It's all about short-term gains over long-term solutions, right? 
. Hope Benjamin can bounce back in the minors, he deserves another shot 
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. You can't just give a guy with that kind of record a fresh start and expect him to magically turn it around. It's all about the numbers, you know? And if they don't want him on their team, then maybe they should've just kept him in the minors where he belongs 
I'm literally shaking my head over here... like what's going on with this kid?! 32 years old and they just drop him like a hot potato 
. He had flashes of brilliance, but yeah okay, that doesn't add up to much when you're facing an ERA of 6.42 
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. I get that they want to build a more consistent roster, but can't they just give someone a break? It's like they're throwing around these young pitchers left and right and expecting them to be miracle workers 
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But anyway, I guess this is just part of the game. The Padres are trying to build something new, so they had to make some tough decisions. It's like when my dad used to change our TV channel every five minutes because he wanted to watch the news or sports - sometimes you gotta shake things up to find what works 
. Anyways, I wish Benjamin all the best, but it's gonna be tough for him to get back on track...
they just cut benjamin after promisin him a spot on the roster 
But it's hard not to feel a little bad for Benjamin... he was so close to making a real impact, then suddenly you hear he's gone