Axford (elbow) announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he intends to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic this spring.

EDGE Analysis

After he recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions, Axford is presumably comfortable with where he stands in his recovery from his September 2021 Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent shortly after making his firs MLB appearance since the 2018 season. The veteran right-hander is set to turn 40 years old in April and isn't yet ruling out the possibility of pitching in affiliated ball after the World Baseball Classic, though he'll likely need a strong showing this spring just to land a minor-league deal in free agency.