Former Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher John Axford is reportedly “cranking it up” in case Team Canada needs him for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, per Bob Elliot.
Hearing RP John Axford (Simcoe, Ont.) is "cranking it up," just in case he is needed for March's WBC. Second all-time among Canadians in career saves, Axford is coaching his son's 15U Burlington Bulls team @Brewers#TeamOntarioAstros@baseballcanada@NotreDame
This wouldn’t be the first time Axford has come out of retirement to pitch in the tournament if he ends up featuring for Team Canada, as he also played in the 2023 installment of the tournament. The right-hander is the second all-time leader among Canadians in saves with 144, and led the National League in the stat in 2011.
He made his first appearance for Team Canada in 2013, posting a 5.40 ERA through two outings in the tournament. When he returned in 2023, he threw one scoreless inning.
Sep 25, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher John Axford (66) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
When Did John Axford Play for the Dodgers?
Axford played for the Dodgers towards the latter end of his career, pitching just five games for L.A. after arriving at the trade deadline in 2018. Through his five games with the Dodgers, he posted a 17.18 ERA with four strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched.
He made just one more MLB appearance after leaving the Dodgers, ending his career with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Other than the Brewers and the Dodgers, Axford played for the Toronto Bluejays, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals.
Throughout his MLB career, the right-hander posted a 3.90 ERA and pitched in 544 games. He struck out 589 batters in 525.2 innings.
This is great news for Team Puerto Rico after recent frustrations with insurance not covering MLB players. Dodgers veteran Miguel Rojas, who was planning to represent Team Venezuela, was one of multiple Latin American players to be denied insurance for the WBC.
In addition to Rojas, Puerto Rican players Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Emilio Pagán, José Berríos, Victor Caratini and Alexis Díaz were denied coverage, according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo.
Rojas expressed his frustration about getting denied insurance during DodgerFest 2026 on Saturday. He pointed out that it seems only players from Latin American teams are experiencing issues getting insurance for the tournament.
“My only question is: Why is it just with our countries [in Latin America], like Venezuela, Puerto Rico, a couple Dominican players?” Rojas said, per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. “I don’t see that happening with the United States or happening with Japan. And I’m not trying to attack anybody, or attack what’s going on … but at the end of the day, it feels like it’s just happening with the players that want to represent their country from Latin America. So, there’s a lot of things I would like to talk about with someone in control, with someone from MLB.”
Team Puerto Rico threatened to withdraw for the tournament entirely after eight of its 10 players were denied coverage on Saturday.
Díaz Missed The Entire 2023 Season With A Knee Injury He Sustained During the WBC
One of the biggest concerns with players participating in the WBC is the possibility of sustaining an injury right before the new MLB season begins. The Dodgers have five returning players competing in the tournament this season: Díaz, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith and Hyeseong Kim.
Díaz tore his patellar tendon after clinching a trip to the 2023 WBC quarterfinals. He had to undergo surgery and missed the entire 2023 season with the New York Mets.
The three-time league Reliever of the Year signed a three-year, $69 million free-agent contract with the Dodgers in December. Los Angeles is hopeful Díaz can be a reliable closer next season as the Dodgers look to win a third straight World Series championship in 2026.
The Dodgers will need Díaz, along with its other four returning players, to stay healthy throughout the entire tournament.
Amid the conversation about the team’s spending, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ TV deal with Spectrum has come up, namely, a special clause that allows the Dodgers to retain an additional portion of their TV revenue.
The signing of outfielder Kyle Tucker has sparked a total meltdown on social media, with fanbases from all over the MLB spectrum coming out of the woodwork and calling out the Dodgers for “ruining baseball.”
Tucker is set to earn $60 million per season, an incredibly high average annual value, which will have him among the highest-paid athletes in the sport. He is joining a team already full of stars in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman — the reigning World Series champions.
As a result, an agreement between the Dodgers’ owners, the Guggenheim Group, and MLB has begun to circulate.
Apr 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Dodgers logo in the outfield pavilion at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The LA Times’ Bill Shaikin outlined the terms of the deal between MLB and the Dodgers that have indeed led to the team keeping a larger share of its revenue.
What happened with the Dodgers media deal?
While trying to oust Frank McCourt as an owner in MLB, the league blocked a $3 billion deal between the Dodgers and Fox Sports, prompting McCourt to file a suit in bankruptcy court.
McCourt was trying to sell the team for all its worth, and he needed to make sure bidders knew what to expect from a TV deal.
In bankruptcy court, MLB agreed that the fair-market value for the Dodgers’ TV deal was the Fox offer, meaning the league would take its 34 percent cut based on those terms.
However, the Dodgers ended up striking a deal worth more than $8 billion, though MLB could not take more from the new deal.
During an appearance on Dodgers Dougout with Doug McKain, Shakin explained how the deal materialized.
“In a nutshell, in order to get Frank McCourt out, which was the objective from MLB, they had to make a deal with him in bankruptcy court,” Shakin said on the show.
“And part of that deal was how are you going to value the television contract? And since a television contract did not exist at that time, because a new owner had not even been selected, they did the best they could.
“And Guggenheim came out with a really great offer that I think blew even MLB’s wildest expectations away. MLB wasn’t thrilled, but they’re living by the terms of the deal, and that’s where we are.”
A lot of people have been on the timeline complaining about the Dodgers “unfair TV deal”
The truth is even if the Dodgers gave up more of that money to other teams, opposing owners still wouldn’t spend ????
MLB did try to push for new terms that hold the Dodgers to the same standard as other teams, but the settlement in bankruptcy court was too much of a blocker.
However, as Shakin outlines, the Dodgers’ new owners, Guggenheim, did work with MLB to find a middle ground.
“So in a normal situation, Major League Baseball would have said, this is a crazy high deal and good for you, and we’re happy, but we gotta share this money just like we share any other money.
“And in this case, MLB could only push so far because Guggenheim was willing to work with MLB to a point. And then Guggenheim could have gone back to the court and said, ‘we got a deal, please, Mr. Judge, enforce the deal. That’s what you’re here for.’
“And the court, as they say in legal circles, has jurisdiction over the deal, which means they run everything.
“So, MLB could have been stuck with the original settlement, which was not as favorable as what they got in the negotiations with Guggenheim.
“Is it equal for all other teams? Absolutely not. Is it a competitive advantage for the Dodgers? Sure. Now, is it as big a competitive advantage as some people are making it? I don’t think so ’cause the contract itself is way more than the individual amount the Dodgers are saving every year.”
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