Former Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen wants to continue pitching in Major League Baseball, but the Tribe need to look elsewhere.
As soon as the name Cody Allen popped up as someone looking to return to Major League Baseball, there were plenty of people wanting the Tribe to re-up with their former closer. The reality is that a stroll down memory lane is not what the Cleveland Indians need right now.
Here is the deal. 2017 was the last year that Cody Allen was an elite closer. Allen was still able to get the job done in 2018, but not at the same level. Allen was hit hard and allowed over 50% more runs than the previous year. 2019 was a complete disaster for Allen. Allen signed with the Angels and was completely ineffective (6.26 ERA, 1.913 WHIP) and was eventually released. Minnesota signed Allen to a minor-league deal, but spent just over a month in AAA before being released.
The issue with Cody Allen is that the velocity on his fastball has dropped. At one point Allen was in the mid-90’s. Now he is closer to high-80’s, low-90’s. The drop in velocity directly correlates with his lack of effectiveness. Unless Allen can work his way around his deceased velocity there is not a reason that the Indians should look into their former closer.
If the Tribe plan on competing in 2020 they have to make moves based on performance and not on sentimental value. If the Indians were not going to be competitive it would be a different story. Perhaps in a few years they can reminisce with Allen, but now is not the time.
