UPDATE, 11:25: No wonder why Benoit left. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN, Benoit is getting a staggering $16.5-million over three years. That's an annual average of $5.5-million for a guy who the Rays brought to camp on a minor-league deal last spring after he sat out all of 2009 recovering from shoulder surgery. Plus, according to Rojas, Benoit also has $1-million in incentives each season, so he could get up to $19.5-million over the three years.

DEVELOPING: The Rays lost the first key member of their bullpen Wednesday with reports that setup man Joaquin Benoit is on the verge of agreeing to a three-year deal with the Tigers. Foxsports.com's Jon Morosi reports via Twitter that the deal "is in final stages of discussion."

The Times reported Tuesday that Benoit, and lefty reliever Randy Choate, were receiving considerable interest from other teams and that it would be "a shock" if either returned to the Rays.