by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

photo credit: AP of latest A’s acquisition pitcher John Axford

OAKLAND–The A’s have agreed to sign veteran reliever John Axford (Colorado) for 2 years and $10 million.   This continues the re-structuring of the Athletics bullpen, which together with their defense where the most vulnerable and greatly responsible with the worse record in the American League 

 Axford is the  fourth reliever the A’s have acquired this offseason, after Liam Hendriks, Marc Rzepczynski and Ryan Madson. Also this week the Athletics traded reliever Evan Scriibner to the Seattle Mariners for minor league pitcher Trey Cochran-Gill.

Axford, is a 32-year old veteran and  pitched to a 4.20 ERA with 25 saves in 31 chances over 60 appearances for the Rockies last season, averaging 10 strikeouts and 5.2 walks per nine innings. He gave up four home runs in 55 2/3 innings. The right-hander was designated for assignment by Colorado at season’s end and elected free agency.

Billy Beane has methodically changed the bullpen for 2016 and this should not be a surprise for Athletics fans, as we all know that the 2015 group just didn’t have it, and since the beginning of the season started without Sean Doolittle, which because of injury only pitched in 12 games for the A’s in 2015. In retrospective, without Doolittle the A’s bullpen was never healed, and even though manager Bob Melvin used all kinds of combinations, it was a disaster for the whole season. We all know in today’s game nobody can win without a good bullpen, some teams in recent years, like the current World Champion Kansas City Royals have dominating bullpens, that can take a game with a lead from the 5th or 6th innings and win the game.

Brett Lawrie traded tp the Chicago White Sox. the Oakland A’s acquired right-handed pitcher J.B. Wendelken and minor league left-handed pitcher Zack Erwin from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Brett Lawrie, the club announced today.Wendelken combined for a 6-2 record, five saves and a 3.20 ERA in 39 relief appearances with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte last year.  He allowed a .221 opponents batting average and struck out 69 batters in 59.0 innings while walking just 16.  The 22-year-old right-hander went 7-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 27 starts with Single-A Winston Salem in 2014 but has pitched exclusively in relief in his other three professional seasons.  Wendelken is 17-14 with a 4.10 ERA in 115 career appearances.  He was originally drafted by Boston in the 13^th round of the 2012 draft and was traded to the White Sox as part of the Jake Peavy deal on July 30, 2013.

Brett Lawrie only played one season(2015)with the A’s and it was his best of five seasons(previous four with Toronto). He hit .260 and hit 16 home runs and drove in 60 runs in 149 games played. His tops in home runs, runs batted in, and total games played in the Major League. So here Billy gets Lawrie for one year and then trades him after he had the best season of his career for a couple of pitchers, continuing with the team of getting as many pitchers as possible, trying to change the whole look of the bullpen.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com