TORONTO — Less than 24 hours after reliever Santiago Casilla was lit up by the Toronto Blue Jays, the A’s have blown up their bullpen.
Gone is John Axford, who was designated for assignment after posting a 6.43 ERA, allowing 15 earned runs in 21 innings. Control was a major issue for Axford, who averaged 7.3 walks per nine innings.
Axford, 34, is a native of Simcoe, Ontario, about a 75-minute drive from the Rogers Centre. Hardly the welcome back to Canada the veteran reliever had in mind.
Axford is in the second season of a two-year, $10 million deal.