John Axford, Relief Pitcher
For much of the early season, the bullpen was a strength in Oakland. The A’s have three capable pitchers at the back end of their bullpen in Sean Doolittle, John Axford, and Ryan Madson. The Athletics like Doolittle very much, and he has closing experience. In 2014, Doolittle, a former first baseman, saved 22 games. The A’s gave Madson a three-year deal in the offseason, and he’s been the closer for the majority of his first year in Oakland. But if the A’s aren’t going to compete for the division, they likely don’t need all of this depth in the back end of the bullpen.
This could make Axford expendable. Axford has plenty of experience closing, as he’s saved 141 games over his eight-year career. The A’s haven’t utilized him in that role very much, although he did record his first save of the season on Tuesday night, in a 7-4 Athletics win over the Minnesota Twins. If a team is in a pinch, Axford has enough closing experience that he could be called on.
In 21 appearances this season, Axford has a 3-1 record, with 7 holds, and one save. Axford has a 3.48 ERA, and has allowed 24 hits against the 89 batters he’s faced. Axford has bounced around the past few years, pitching for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Colorado Rockies since 2014. If teams are looking for depth in the bullpen, Axford could be a cheap option — he’s on a two-year, $10 million contract — and it could allow the Athletics to get a Minor League piece back in return. If the Athletics elect to keep Axford at the deadline, he’d be under team control through 2017.
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