Report: Blue Jays agree to deal with veteran reliever Axford
The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a contract with veteran reliever John Axford, pending a physical, Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell reports.
Axford, a native of Simcoe, Ontario, came out of retirement earlier this month to pitch for Canada in the Olympic qualifying tournament. He got into two games, tallying one save without allowing a run.
Despite not pitching in nearly three years, he drew some eyes during the tournament when his pitches sat at 95 to 98 mph, according to Bob Elliott of Canadian Baseball Network.
Toronto's bullpen has been a weak spot all year, in part due to a number of injuries that have decimated the unit. General manager Ross Atkins said Sunday the team is attempting to add more relievers.
The 38-year-old's last major-league campaign came in 2018 with the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. He suffered a fractured fibula on a comebacker in August 2018 and then dealt with elbow issues throughout 2019.
Axford owns a 38-34 record with a 3.87 ERA, 589 strikeouts, and 144 saves across parts of 10 big-league seasons with eight teams. He's best remembered for his five-year run with the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he was named NL Reliever of the Year in 2011.