Cleveland Indians Reach Agreement to Sign John Axford

The Cleveland Indians reached an agreement with John Axford according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Axford’s contract is believed to be a one-year deal as he has two years of arbitration eligibility after this year. Earlier this offseason, the 30 year-old reliever was non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Axford, who was signed by the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent in 2006, had a strong run with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he served as their closer from 2010-12, though he lost the job in 2012 when a bout of wildness flared up. From 2010-11, he saved 70 games, posting a 2.19 ERA with strikeout and walk rates of 29.8 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively.

Axford struggled in 2012. Though he saved 35 games, his ERA shot up to 4.67, and he walked 12.6 percent of hitters. In 62 games for the Brewers in 2013, he managed a 4.45 ERA, serving up 10 home runs in 54.2 innings. He was traded to the Cardinals at the end of August for Michael Blazek, a little-used relief pitcher. Including the playoffs, Axford struck out 20 hitters in 16 innings, with seven walks.

While Axford has struggled with his control at various points in his career, he still has dominant stuff. His fastball velocity has not diminished, and it sat in the mid to upper 90’s in 2013. In addition, his curveball and slider are still sharp. His swinging strike rate of 10.1 percent in 2013 was equal to his career mark.

The Indians likely see Axford as a replacement to former closer Chris Perez, who they released in October after a difficult season in which he managed a 4.08 ERA and 5.33 FIP. This should be an upgrade for the Tribe. Both pitchers have less than perfect control, but Axford has significantly better stuff.

With Axford, the Indians are getting a live arm with closing experience that won’t cost them top dollar. If he can keep his walk rate from ballooning, he’ll help shore up a bullpen that struggled in 2013.