The Philadelphia Phillies said on Tuesday afternoon that they have acquired Kolby Allard, a left-handed pitcher.
Allard inked a split contract with Matt Gelb of The Athletic that guarantees him $375,000 and adds $125,000 in incentives. Should Allard pitch in the majors, the pact would be worth $1 million.
Allard will participate in major league Spring Training and be included on the 40-man roster. Allard has one minor-league option left, so the Phillies won’t lose him if he doesn’t make the 26-man roster for Opening Day.
Across 69 career MLB appearances — 38 of which have been starts — Allard is 9-24 with a 6.10 ERA and 5.31 FIP, so there isn’t an impressive track record at the MLB level. With that said, he has a 3.71 ERA in 62 career starts as Triple-A.
The 26-year-old was the No. 14 overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2015 MLB Draft out of San Clemente High School in San Diego, selected above players like Josh Naylor and Walker Buehler. Allard made his Major League debut for the Braves in 2018, but was traded to the Texas Rangers in July of 2019 for reliever Chris Martin. He returned to the Braves in the November 2022 trade that sent RHP Jake Odorizzi and cash considerations back to the Rangers. The Braves ultimately non-tendered him back in November, which is why he was a free agent that still has remaining minor-league options.
Allard possesses a four-pitch mix that includes a cutter, curveball, changeup, and fastball in the low 90s. When it seems like you have no openings in your starting rotation but still want to have depth in case any of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker, or Cristopher Sánchez get hurt, he’s the kind of pitcher you take a chance on. The manager, Rob Thomson, may also consider using the lefty as a lengthy reliever.
