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The man with the ax comes home.
Earlier this morning, the Milwaukee Brewers announced that they had acquired right-hander John Axford from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash consideration. The Brewers and Blue Jays were able to close this deal because Oxford was under contract with the minor leagues and was previously not part of the 40-person squad in 2021. In fact, Axford started the year as as a studio analyst for the Blue Jays. , then pitched for Team Canada at the Olympic Trials, then signed a minor league deal with Toronto in late June.
Axford spent part of 5 seasons with the Brewers from 2009 to 2013, including a stint to get closer to the team in the team’s run to the NLCS in 2011. He posted a 1.95 ERA, led the NL and set a single-season franchise record with 46 records this season en route to the reliever of the year title. During his total time in Milwaukee, he appeared in 268 games and pitched 263.1 innings with a 3.35 ERA (120 ERA +) and 3.29 FIP. He hit 10.9 batters per nine versus 4.1 BB / 9, and was traded to the Cardinals in August 2013 for a PTBN – later Michael Blazek.
Axford has rebounded since then, appearing in the big leagues for the Cardinals, Athletics, Rockies, Pirates, Dodgers, Indians and Blue Jays. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2018, although he still averaged 95.9 MPH with his four-cushion at this time. Axford hadn’t pitched at any professional level since 2019 before registering 11.2 innings in minors for Toronto this season, posting a 0.77 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 3 walks.
Axford will join the Big League roster for tonight’s game, helping to fill the club’s need for depth of right-handed relief with several players currently inactive due to COVID-19 protocols.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs
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