Why Cleveland Guardians Re-Signed Kolby Allard to a Minor League Deal

Why not another?

That's probably what the Cleveland Guardians' front office is thinking right now.

On Monday, Feb. 2, the front office decided to tack on another reliever to the 2026 MLB Spring Training camp, re-signing Kolby Allard to a minor league deal. His contractual details include a non-rostered stipulation to his spring training invite.

Allard will be the Guardians' 10th left-handed pitcher in camp, with six being on the 40-man roster and four being non-roster invites. The group includes Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, Tim Herrin, Parker Messick, Doug Nikhazy, Erik Sabrowski, Will Dion, Steven Perez, Ryan Webb and Allard. Each will look to make a mark and solidify a spot on the Opening Day roster.

In the 2025 campaign, the 28-year-old Allard posted a career-high 1.3 bWAR in 2025, while also tacking on a 2.63 ERA across 33 games. While he served more as an innining-eater, he showed signs of being a pretty good one-to-two inning lock-down pitcher.

Across his final 12.1 innings on the mound last year, he held the opposition scoreless.

His addition to the team may cause some heads to turn in frustration with yet another non-splash-type signing, but he'll give the Guardians familiarity out of the bullpen. Now, his only hope is ending up on the 40-man by the end of spring training.

The Cleveland Guardians today announced the re-signing of free agent LHP Kolby Allard to a Minor League contract with a non-roster invitation to 2026 Major League Spring Training camp.

Allard, 28, posted a career-high 1.3 bWAR in 2025 along with a 2.63 ERA in 33 games/2 starts… pic.twitter.com/Utql4jgoNK
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) February 2, 2026

The offseason of confusion for the Guardians

The front office went out and signed three new right-handed pitchers: Shawn Armstrong, Connor Brogdon and Colin Holderman, all of whom are expected to receive regular time out of the bullpen when the major league season rolls around. Alongside those three for major-league relief, they opted to snag Peyton Pellette in the MLB Rule 5 draft, signing him to a minor league deal.

These signings aren't bad, but they, like Allard, aren't eye-catching moves.

Most of the general public has remained confused about why Cleveland's been so slow all offseason, but recently, the president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, answered the questions. He stated that the team is hoping that 2026 will be a year of growth for prospects, so that they can stay home-grown.

"As we looked at a lot of the external possibilities of external additions, one of the questions we continually have to ask ourselves is, 'whose opportunity does this impede?'" he said.

That sentiment shared by Antonetti is why a signing like Allard makes a lot of sense. He's 28-years-old, won't block any of the youngsters' timeline and if he ends up working out, he'll weigh practically nothing on Cleveland's books.

Recently, Terry Pluto, a long-time Cleveland reporter, stated that he believes the Guardians' bullpen will be good this season. He's seen the coaching staff's ability to turn questionable, raw pitchers into incredibly consistent arms over the years.

"I’m not going to deal in-depth with all these new relievers," Pluto said. "But here’s a prediction: At least two of the new relievers will become key parts of the bullpen. Cleveland is the master of reviving the careers of these types of pitchers."

Allard is aiming to join that group, but first must secure a spot on the 40-man roster. If he performs well in spring training and with few roles firmly established, he could put himself in a position to make the Opening Day roster.

His first chance at getting on the diamond will be on Saturday, Feb. 21, as the Guardians take on the Cincinnati Reds. First pitch between the two sides is slated for 3:05 p.m. EST from Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona.