John Axford: Headed To The Pirates

The Pirates have claimed Axford off waivers from the Indians, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Analysis:

A four-run blowup against the Yankees last Friday proved a fitting end to the 31-year-old's tenure in Cleveland. Axford was removed from the closer role a little over a month into the season and ended up posting a 3.92 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 49 appearances. He did show some improvement in July (2.00), and Pirates pitching coach Ray Searge has been known to work magic with struggling hurlers, but Axford isn't a threat to Mark Melancon.