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Based on the blips during his good times, Axford suspects that his height (6-foot-5) and his relatively low weight might have combined to undermine his command. He tends at times to let his body get ahead of his arm, and to wear down a bit as the season progresses.

With that in mind, he says he has beefed up this winter (from 219 pounds last year to 232) to increase strength and stamina and is focusing on a more compact delivery.

“With how long I am and how long my arm can be, sometimes those small little milliseconds can become huge, especially at release point,” he said. “This year I’m really trying to prepare myself on that side. I’ve actually bulked up a little bit more, even from last year, added 13 pounds to my frame. I’m really working out and getting a lot stronger, and trying to cut a little bit of that arm swing, that arm action, so maybe it won’t linger in the back.”

For a team seeking relief help, Axford is intriguing. He has struck out 10.7 batters per nine innings over his career and his fastball averaged 94.4 last season with Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Even though he lost his closer’s job in Cleveland after a month, he enjoyed impressive stretches after that: 10 games with an 0.87 ERA, 15 with a 1.32 and, with the Pirates, 12 games with a 1.69 mark.

When trouble struck, walks undid him. If he can somehow solve that problem, Axford believes he can close again. “It’s still something that I definitely want to do,” he said.

“It just frustrates me, knowing that I had that job [in Cleveland],” he added. “I had the grasp on it, and I just kind of let it go. So I want to be able to grab hold of that job again at some point in my career and prove that I can do it again, and that it’s not just a two-year fling.”