Triple-A Pitcher Leaves Guardians Organization After Opting Out of Contract

Back in 2025, Allard was one of Cleveland's best relievers. But in 2026, he never really found a role with the team.

Sep 20, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Kolby Allard (49) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning of game one of a double header at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

In 2025, left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard was one of the Cleveland Guardians' best inning eaters.

Across 33 outings, two starts and 16 games finished, the lefty posted a 2.63 ERA and 1.200 WHIP with just north of nine strikeouts per nine innings.

But while the future looked bright for him in Cleveland, a year removed, he is no longer with the club.

On Wednesday, June 17, Allard opted out of his deal with the Guardians, effectively ending his time with the organization. Playing ball down in Triple-A Columbus for much of the campaign, Allard had a 4.11 ERA across eight outings and five starts. He also recorded one complete game.

He wasn't throwing the ball badly, not by any means, but due to the surplus of youth ahead of him, both in Triple-A and at the major league level, his path towards returning to Progressive Field was blocked.

This is the second time this season that Allard has been released, as he opted out of his minor league deal back in mid-May. While he did eventually re-sign with the Guardians, this time the feeling is that he will explore opportunities elsewhere.

However, since February 2025, Allard and the Guardians have agreed to five separate minor league contracts, proving that the connection between the two sides never truly seems to fade.

At 28 years old, the window of opportunity for him to legitimately settle down within an organization and become a real arm, either in a starting rotation or bullpen, is thinning.

If he wants to make another run at making a major league roster, Cleveland isn't really an option right now.

At the major league level, prospects Will Dion and Daniel Espino have been recent promotions. While Dion hasn't really done much just yet, Espino made his MLB debut on Wednesday night and was electric.

Dion's eventual optioning back to Columbus is expected, but it wouldn't come with Allard being promoted back up to the big leagues. With lefty Erik Sabrowski returning from the injured list, he is next in line, and then after him sit guys like Austin Peterson and Franco Aleman.

The Guardians have invested far too much in much of the Triple-A roster, many of whom are homegrown talents, to continue to give Allard shots on a short-term basis. If they truly want to have Allard in the bullpen, they'd likely have to move on from Tim Herrin to give him a spot.

As of now, that seems very unlikely.

In the meantime, while things get worked out behind the scenes, the major league roster is preparing for a road stint against the Houston Astros.

With countless bats out due to injury, the pitching staff will have a bright spotlight on it as the team attempts to continue finding wins. Allard will certainly be watching.