John Axford has been traded to Milwaukee for cash

The dream of John Axford going from the studio to the pitching mound with the Blue Jays in one season is now dead.

The team announced on Monday that the veteran righty had been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations.

Though he hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2018, the year he was with the Blue Jays and then got traded to the L.A. Dodgers, Axford performed quite well for the Triple-A Bisons. Through 11 2/3 innings, Axford allowed just one earned run on three this and three walks while striking out 15.

The challenge for Axford is the Blue Jays’ 40- and 26-man roster crunch.

Given he’s on a minor-league deal, the Blue Jays would have either had to DFA somebody or move somebody to the 60-day Injured List to make room for Axford. The team designated Joel Payamps, Nick Allgeyer, T.J. Zeuch, Jonathan Davis, and Tyler Chatwood in the month of July and it isn’t easy to find another name to cut in favour of a 38-year-old pitcher who may or may not be effective.

The Blue Jays did a pretty good job adding veteran depth to their bullpen, acquiring Adam Cimber, Trevor Richards, Brad Hand, and Joakim Soria ahead of the trade deadline.