Marinating meat before braising/stewing it?

Please help me settle a discussion I've been having with a fellow cook: Is there any benefit to marinating meat prior to stewing or braising it, following the common process that most stews/braises follow? If everything is going to end up as small pieces of meat in the same sauce - is there any point to pre-marinating the meat (compared to just adding those ingredients at the same point you sautee your aromatics)? The only way I can see this being different is having different flavour compounds present in/on the meat when you sear it before it is stewed/braised. Otherwise I can't see why there would be a significant difference here, so I'm seeking your expertise to educate me. submitted by /u/MessTinGourmet