Phillies Agree to Contract With Former Atlanta Braves Pitcher
Pitching has been a major part of the Philadelphia Phillies' offseason this year.
Their No. 1 priority was to get back Aaron Nola to pair him with Zack Wheeler at the top of their rotation for the 2024 season. With Wheeler set to hit free agency after the year, extension talks have begun to surface so they can get their two aces under contract for the foreseeable future.
The Phillies also were linked to multiple starters throughout the offseason and offered a competitive contract to Yoshinobu Yamamoto before he signed a megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They clearly have been in the market to add more arms.
Philadelphia announced that they agreed to a contract with former Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard and have added him to their 40-man roster.
The 26-year-old was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Braves.
He immediately became one of their top prospects, being ranked No. 5 overall in their farm system by MLB Pipeline in 2016. He hovered around that designation for the next couple years before falling out of the Top 10 in 2019.
Injuries played a major part in that for the talented lefty, yet over 108 starts in the minors, he recorded a career ERA of 3.41.
Allard made his Major League debut with Atlanta in 2018 before he was traded to the Rangers in June 2019.
He appeared in 62 games with Texas and started 34, but struggled with an ERA of 5.85 across 224 2/3 innings pitched.
Allard was shipped back to the Braves in November 2022 and only appeared in four games during 2023, starting three of them, because of two separate stints on the 60-day injured list with an oblique strain and shoulder nerve inflammation.
The Phillies are taking a shot on the former first round talent, hoping they can resurrect his career within their organization.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports it's a one-year, $1 million deal with $125K in incentives.
This will give Philadelphia rotation depth they were looking for this offseason.
Allard also has a minor-league option remaining which helps them navigate their roster when it comes time to decide who will be on the team for Opening Day.
