Phillies sign Kolby Allard to minor league deal

Allard is back with Cleveland as emergency pitching depth after spending a couple days on the open market. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed 10 runs on 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings across four relief outings for the Guardians last month.

Allard had an opt-out clause in his contract, and the Guardians allowed him to exercise that clause rather than call him up. He had allowed 10 runs on 16 hits in 8 2/3 innings with Cleveland this season.

Allard spent a couple hours, literally, on the free agent wire before returning to Cleveland on a brand-new minor league deal. The 28-year-old southpaw was torched for 10 runs on 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings across four relief appearances earlier this month.

Allard went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 28-year-old lefty allowed 10 runs on 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings during his latest stint with the Guardians.

Allard’s latest stint with Cleveland wound up lasting approximately two weeks as he was rocked for 10 runs on 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old southpaw will likely opt for free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Allard rejoins Cleveland’s pitching staff prior to Monday’s series opener against the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers after a brief Triple-A hiatus. The 28-year-old southpaw recorded a strong 2.63 ERA across 65 innings for Cleveland last year. He’ll likely operate in a swingman-type capacity as a long reliever or occasional spot starter.

Allard had a surprising 2.63 ERA in 65 innings (two starts, 31 relief appearances) for the Guardians last season, lowering his career mark from 5.99 to 5.34. He had just a 16% strikeout rate in the process, so there’s not really any reason to expect him to do it again. The Guardians, though, have a way of coaxing these kinds of results from journeymen.

All six players have elected free agency instead of sticking around with the Guardians. No real surprises here as Cleveland clears some space on its 40-man roster heading into the offseason. Lively is the most prominent name by a considerable margin, but he’s going to miss a significant portion of next season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Allen had a solid season, with a 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 122/62 K/BB ratio in 156 2/3 innings. However, with the Guardians not needing as many starting pitchers, they will carry guys like Matt Festa and Kolby Allard instead. Joey Cantillo should serve as the bulk reliever in this series.

This was just Allard’s third start of the season and first since May 28. He was working as a multi-inning reliever for practically all of June, but had transitioned to a one-inning guy recently. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him pulled in the fourth inning after throwing 42 pitches. It was frustrating though, since it seemed like he could’ve cruised to a win if he’d been able to throw just 25 or so more pitches. He was only thrust into the rotation because the team needed an extra starter after a double-header this past weekend to keep the rest of their staff on regular rest.