John Axford, a Canadian baseball player, started his career in the Majors by replacing Hall of Fame reliever Trevor Hoffman in Milwaukee. Although he was a starting pitcher in the Minors, Axford performed well as a relief pitcher, saving 24 games in 2010 and leading the National League with 46 saves the following season (2011). His impressive performance earned him the NL Rolaids Relief Award and a ninth-place finish in the Cy Young voting.

In the subsequent season, Axford recorded 35 saves but his ERA was over four. Unfortunately, he was unable to regain his previous dominance, but he still managed to accumulate 144 saves during his 11-year career. In addition to Milwaukee, he played for St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Oakland, Toronto, and the L.A. Dodgers.

Joakim Soria began his career in the Mexican League before being selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Kansas City Royals from the San Diego Padres organization. This turned out to be a wise investment for KC as Soria finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2007, with 17 Saves. Over the next three seasons, Soria established himself as one of the best closers in baseball, earning All-Star Game selections in 2008 and 2010 and recording 105 Saves. Although he finished tenth for the Cy Young in 2010, he was arguably better in his first All-Star year, with 42 Saves, a 1.60 ERA and a WHIP of 0.861. However, Soria's performance slumped in 2011 (28 Saves, 4.03 ERA, 1.276 WHIP), and he missed the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn UCL. Although he made a comeback, he was never the same as before.

Over the next nine seasons, Soria played for nine different teams (Texas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Kansas City again, Chicago (AL), Milwaukee, Oakland, Arizona, and Toronto), all out of the bullpen where he was sometimes again the closer. During this period, he had 69 Saves and a total of 229. While Soria never regained his past glory in Kansas City, he was good enough to find work for nearly a decade after.

Jay Bruce is a former baseball player who is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds. He was a three-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger.

Bruce was a premier power hitter for the Reds for many years. In 2008, Bruce finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. That season, he had 21 home runs and 52 RBIs, which was arguably his worst season as a member of the Reds. However, he gradually increased his power numbers and had three consecutive 30-home run seasons, during which he had over or close to 100 RBIs. Bruce was an All-Star in both 2011 and 2012. He won Silver Sluggers in 2012 and 2013 and finished tenth in MVP voting that year.

Cincinnati traded Bruce to the New York Mets in 2016, shortly after he went to his third All-Star game. That season, he finished with his career-best 36 home runs. However, the struggling Mets waived Bruce, and he signed with Cleveland. He later returned to the Mets as a free agent, but his second stint only lasted a year. His power was fading, and he was eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners. Bruce finished his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. He retired with 319 home runs and 951 RBIs.

Jake Arrieta played for four different teams during his career in Major League Baseball, but he is most famously known for his time with the Chicago Cubs. Arrieta started his career with the Baltimore Orioles but struggled to perform consistently, moving back and forth between the minor and major leagues. Over the course of 69 games with the Orioles, Arrieta had an unimpressive 5.46 ERA and 1.472 WHIP.

In 2013, Baltimore traded Arrieta to the Cubs, where he initially played in the minor leagues but finished the year with a 4-2 record and a 3.66 ERA. This was just the start of Arrieta's success with the Cubs.

Arrieta's best year came in 2015, where he led the National League in Wins (22), Games Started (33), Complete Games (4), Shutouts (3), and H/9 (5.9). He also boasted a 1.77 ERA, a 0.865 WHIP, and 236 Strikeouts. Arrieta won the Cy Young award that year and even finished sixth in MVP voting.

 In 2016, Arrieta had another solid season, going 18-8 with a 3.10 ERA and 190 strikeouts. He was also an All-Star for the first and only time. Arrieta won the Silver Slugger award that year and helped lead the Cubs to their first World Series victory in 108 years.

Arrieta played one more season with the Cubs before signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. However, injuries began to take their toll, and his performances declined quickly. He played again for the Cubs and then the Padres before retiring after the 2021 season. Overall, he had a record of 115-93 with 1,433 strikeouts.