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53 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP PLAY BALL THE A'S rontochangedhimfromastarter to a reliever. Even Marc Rzep- czynski, the lefty brought in for situational work, can throw 95. With Doolittle hurt, last year's bullp en didn 't ha ve much ve lo cit y behind its offerings. That won't be a problem this season. Doolittle, limited to the 89-90 mph range durin g a n i njur y-pla gued 20 15, is back up in the mid-90s. His command of the strike zone also seems to have returned. Bean e an d F ors t too k a pr oac - tive approach in the offseason. They traded Chavez for Hendriks on Nov. 20, and while they didn't officially sign Madson and Axford until after the winter meetings, they had both pitchers locked down before they began. There was no way the A's wanted to get into a bidding war at the meetings. "We can't spend at the level of some of the clubs in our division," Forst said. "That's just the way it is. That doesn't mean we can't try to be smart about it." FORSTSAIDTHEMOST difficult position to evaluate is the bullpen. "But the bullpen was the first thing we knew we had to address," he said. So the team traded for Hen - driks and agreed to terms with Madson and Axford before a huge market could develop. "You could tell they had a plan — and a good one," Axford said. Axford, who served as the clos - er with the Colorado Rockies last year, knew Madson was coming aboard in Oakland at the same time he was and that Hendriks already had been acquired. "They were putting all the piec - es in place, and they were going about it the right way for a team that wants to be a success," Axford said. "They've got some guys with good velo (velocity) here now, and that's what they were going for. And we have three guys who have closed, so the experience is there if it's needed." Madson saved 32 games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011, and Axford had 25 saves for the Rockies last year. The A's are hopeful they won't need them in the ninth, but knowing they are available if needed is leading to optimism that last year's disaster won't have a sequel. "We have the potential to have a very deep bullpen," manager Bob Melvin said. "We knew that we didn't have the velocity we wanted, so the front office went out and got it. There were too many times last year when we needed a big strikeout late in the game, and we didn't have some - one who could get it. "We have options now that we didn't have last season. And we have health. Doo is healthy again and throwing as hard as ever. He'll be the anchor, and once again I think we have the bridge to get from our starters to Doo, which we had trouble doing last year." Added Forst: "We went into offseason focused on upgrading the bullpen. There were a lot of games that got away from us at the end last year, and we needed to rectify that." This is not a quick fix, either. Hendriks has four years of club control. Madson has a three-year contract. Axford signed for two seasons. With Doolittle signed to a five-year deal that ties him to the club through 2018, with options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Beane and Forst are hoping they've put together a bullpen that will be a force for a few years. THE ROYALS WERE THE blueprint. The best team in the American League the past two seasons, as well as the World Se- ries champs in 2015, Kansas City had many weapons. None was more potent than the bullpen of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland, three top-flight, back-end performers, though Holland wasn't tendered a con - tract for 2016 after having Tommy John surgery near the end of last season. When Holland went down, Madson stepped into a setup role after serving most of the season as a middle reliever. In 13 regu - lar-season games in September and October, he contributed an 0.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Until joining the Royals, Madson missed the previous three seasons, the first two while recovering from Tommy John sur - gery and 2014 because he retired after being unable to get a minor league contract. But the 6-foot-6 righty showed durability and skill, pitching in 68 regular-season games and nine more in the playoffs, compiling a 2.13 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Madson and Axford also bring World Series experience: Madson earned rings with the Phillies in 2008 and the Royals last year, while Axford pitched for the Cardinals when St. Louis lost to Boston in the 2013 Fall Classic. "I think it's great," Axford said. "We have guys who have had opportunities at the end of the bullpen. Having guys who have been in the heat of it before and who have done it in the playoffs, and have won a World Series, that bodes well for the season." The A's seriously hope so. JHICKEY@BAYAREANEWSGROUP.COM LEFT:RAYCHAVEZ;TOP:JOSIELEPE;PREVIOUSSPREAD:ASSOCIATEDPRESS,GETTYIMAGES SeanDoolittle, left and above, is expected to lead the A's bullpen this season after an injury-plagued 2015. "Doo is healthy again and throwing as hard as ever," said manager Bob Melvin. "He'll be the anchor, and once again I think we have the bridge to get from our starters to Doo, which we had trouble doing last year."