Cardinals Acquire John Axford, What Does He Bring?

Aug 21, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher John Axford pitches in the 6th inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Follow Arch Authority On Twitter!

On Friday, the Cardinals acquired John Axford from the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later. So what does this mean for the Cardinals?

More stability in the bullpen. 

You can never have enough pitching arms in baseball and I get the feeling the Cardinals wanted someone with playoff experience to go to in the bullpen. Even though Axford’s stats this year are pedestrian at best, a fresh start maybe what he needs to get his mojo back. When you have to rely on young arms in pressure situations, you never know what you’re going to get. The stability that John Axford can bring to the Cardinals is key in this stretch run to lock up the NL Central.

Experience

Experience is always an important thing to have. It’s tough as a team to balance youth and experience on a 25 man roster. This season, the Cardinals seem to rely on youth more than they have on experience. Adding John Axford helps to balance that equation in the bullpen.

Follow Arch Authority On Twitter! You can contact Chris Flanagan at archauthoritytoday@gmail.com