Padres pitchers Ian Kennedy, Joaquin Benoit claimed on waivers, pulled back

San Diego Padres pitchers Ian Kennedy and Joaquin Benoit were both pulled back after being claimed on waivers, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

The Padres pulling them back from waivers that neither Kennedy nor Benoit will be traded this season.

San Diego was expected to be a seller at the July trade deadline, but surprised many by holding on to all of their key players, several of whom will be free agents after this season, and that still looks to be their plan despite the fact that they are 59-62 and 8½ games out of a postseason berth.

Kennedy is one of the Padres' upcoming free agents, owed about $3 million for the rest of  the season, and he will now certainly play out the string in San Diego. The Padres have a team option for $8 million on Benoit for 2016.

Beniot is likely the more important piece for San Diego's future, as despite the Padres' rough season he has continued to be one of the best late-inning relievers in baseball. He has a 2.26 ERA and 0.85 in 53 appearances this season, pitching 51⅔ innings, allowing 27 hits and 17 walks while striking out 47, and would obviously appeal to several contenders.

Meanwhile, Kennedy has been strong lately, dropping his ERA from 7.15 to 4.20 since June 1, with nine quality starts among his 14 outings in that stretch. For the season, he has struck out 113 in 122 innings in 22 starts, with a 1.25 WHIP to go with the 4.20 ERA.

One reason the Padres may have been hesitant to move Kennedy is because there are question marks about their rotation depth. Only seven pitchers have made starts for San Diego this season, and one of them, Brandon Morrow, is on the 60-day disabled list. The Padres likely held on to Benoit as part of a plan to contend in 2016.