Former big league closer Armando Benitez and the Houston Astros have agreed to a minor league contract.
The 36-year-old Benitez, a major league All-Star in 2003 and 2004, was pitching for the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic League. He was 1-0 with 16 saves and a 2.86 ERA in 34 relief outings for a team managed by former big league star Tim Raines.
Benitez, who had 43 strikeouts in 34 2-3 innings with Newark, will report to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.
"We'll give Armando a chance to finish the season at Round Rock and then determine where we go from there," Astros general manager Ed Wade said in a statement Saturday.
Benitez is 40-47 with 289 saves and a 3.13 ERA in 15 major league seasons. The right-hander has pitched for Baltimore (1994-98), the New York Mets (1999-2003), the New York Yankees (2003), Seattle (2003), Florida (2004, 2007), San Francisco (2005-07) and Toronto (2008).
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