Toronto Blue Jays reunite with John Axford and sign Ryan Feierabend

Reliever John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) has signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Photo Credit: Jay Blue

By Jay Blue

Blue Jays from Away

Now before you go and get too excited, reports are that both deals are minor league deals but it's nice that Axford, who had a reemergence last year with the Jays (and then the Dodgers), is back with his hometown team in Toronto.

Axford, 35, will make $1.65 million if he makes the big league roster (and an undisclosed amount if he's in the minor leagues.) In 51 innings with the Blue Jays last year, he had a 4.41 ERA and and 1.255 WHIP, striking out 50 and walking 20 before getting traded to the Dodgers where he allowed seven earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings.

Ryan Feierabend, is a left-handed knuckleballer who has spent the last four seasons in Korea, comes to the Jays on a minor league deal. He had a league-best ERA of 3.04 and a 1.15 WHIP in a notoriously hitter-friendly league in 2017 but that regressed to a 4.30 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 27 games in 2018 but he did walk only 38 batters in 163 1/3 innings while striking out 141.

The 33-year-old reached the major leagues in 2006 with Seattle and spent parts of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 seasons in the bigs, not getting another chance until 2014 with Texas (posting a 6.14 ERA in just 7 1/3 innings).

Feierabend (which means the end of the working day, or closing time, or, more literally, celebration evening) has been a starter for the past four years in Korea and should be able to pitch as a starter for triple-A Buffalo in the Jays' organization.

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