Phillies Sign Former Braves Prospect Kolby Allard to a One-Year Deal

It’s been a quiet offseason for the Phillies. There was the big splash of re-signing Aaron Nola to a seven-year deal back in November, but not a whole heck of a lot since.

But Tuesday was a day they finally started adding to the periphery of the roster, signing lefty pitcher Kolby Allard to a one-year contract.

Allard was a first round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves back in 2015, and was a highly-touted prospect, but his expectation never materialized at the major league level.

He’s been traded twice – first from the Braves to the Texas Rangers at the 2019 tdeadline in exchange for reliever Chris Martin as the Braves looked to bolster their bullpen.

Then he was traded back to the Braves immediately following the 2022 season, with the Rangers acquiring starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi and cash. He missed most of last season with a nerve injury in his shoulder.

Allard, 26, has pitched across parts of six season with the Braves and Rangers, making 69 appearances, 38 of them starts. His stats are a bit unsightly. He has a record of 9-24 with a 6.10 ERA in 245 innings pitched. He has 204 strikeouts, a career WHIP of 1.433 and has yielded a whopping 50 homers.

Got The Run Back
Kurt Suzuki Home Run
96.9 MPH 29° 386 Feet

Kurt Suzuki homers (1) on a fly ball to left field.
82.1 MPH changeup thrown by Kolby Allard.#Angels 3 – Rangers 6 Top 5th
Credit: Ballys#Suzuki #Angels #LAAvsTEX pic.twitter.com/NNj1fLvDHm

— Anaheim Sports (@AnaheimSports1) April 16, 2022

His best season isn’t one that is talked about much, if at all. In 2021 he threw 124 2/3 innings for the Rangers, finishing with a record of 3-12 and a 5.41 ERA with a 1.275 WHIP and 104 strikeouts.

Allard has a split major league/minor league deal. He is on the 40-man and will be in big league spring training. https://t.co/jwpoMQMLKh

— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) January 23, 2024

While this move may not make waves, it certainly has a few ripples. Allard does have an option remaining, meaning he can be shuttled back and forth as the Phillies need him. He likely doesn’t pose a threat to the starting rotation but adds insurance if the Phillies need a spot start or two during the season.

Being on the 40-man roster is notable as well. The Phillies now have 39 players on the 40-man roster. Only seven of them are starting pitchers – Zack Wheeler, Nola, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker, Cristopher Sanchez, Nick Nelson (who was stretched out to be a starter last season) and now Allard. Bullpen guys like Dylan Covey and Matt Strahm could also be stretched out, if necessary, although the team prefers to keep them in the ‘pen.

Prospects like Mick Abel, Griff McGarry, and to a lesser extent, Tyler Phillips, will all be in big league camp at Spring Training as non-rostered invitees. Any one of them can be added to the 40-man roster at any time, but unless there is space (currently there is only room for one more player), the Phillies would have to waive someone from the 40-man to make room.

The Phillies may have seen some upticks in Allard’s analytics that made him intriguing. He had a 4.23 FIP and registered 9.5 K/9, in a very small sample of 12 1/3 IP. This would make Allard a low-risk flier that maybe he could finally tap into that unreached potential and be a part of the Phillies plans for 2024.

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