Article: Twins Sign RHP Cody Allen (Minor League Deal)

[Seth Stohs]

In the offseason, many Twins fans assumed that the team would sign RHP Cody Allen to its bullpen. He signed with the Angels. They released him and now reports indicate that the Twins have signed the veteran.Cody Allen had a few really good years in Cleveland. Many assumed that his connection with Twins CBO Derek Falvey made him a realistic offseason target for the Twins. Instead he signed with the Angels.

 

Things did not go well for Allen in Anaheim. He was designated for assignment before being given his outright release last week.

 

In 25 games for the Halos, he posted a 6.26 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. In just 23 innings, he had 29 strikeouts but also walked 20 batters.

 

From 2013 to 2017 (five seasons), he never posted an ERA over 2.99. He was Cleveland's closer a couple of those years and a key late-inning reliever. He posted 145 saves for them

 

Jon Heyman was the first to tweet the news.

 

 

Dan Hayes posts an update with a good reason for the signing.

 

 

"There is no timeline."

 

The Twins don't have to push him to the big leagues to see value.

 

"They want to get their hands on him."

 

Derek Falvey came to the Twins with a reputation as being a pitcher guru from his days in Cleveland. Wes Johnson is being given a lot of credit for the Twins pitching successes in 2019.

 

It will be interesting to see when Allen arrives with a Twins affiliate and which affiliate that is. How quickly will he get to Rochester? And, the strikeouts certainly indicate that there is some stuff remaining for the still-just-30-year-old.

 

As with RHP Drew Hutchinson, who signed a minor league deal with the Twins on Friday, signing Allen to a minor league deal is a no-risk, potentially good reward deal. If he never finds his velocity and isn't good in the minors, the Twins are not obligated to call him up. If he finds his stuff again, the Twins could have added a low-cost late inning reliever for the season's final weeks.

 

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[operation mindcrime]

Hopefully he can help our team at some point this season!!!!

[mikelink45]

Another nice signing, but I would like to have a great signing!  

[Linus]

I love it. No downside and potentially quite a bit of upside. He has struggled lately but reached a level few do so there is that

[Twodogs]

Well if they wanted a dude with a 6.50 era in the bull pen they could have kept Reed?

[GetToKnowEm]

Good no-risk signing by the Twins. Let’s hope he finds his way in Rochester and can be an asset to the big league club!

[GetToKnowEm]

Maybe Wes Johnson can work some of his magic on him.

[mrtwinsfan]

Alot of maybe,s

[Tom Froemming]

The signing is great, it's what comes next that I'll be interested in. If they push him into the major league pen without signs that he's progressed in the minors first I will not be amused.

 

Some of the guys they've promoted from the minors have shown flashes of much better stuff than Allen has had for years, and they can't seem to get the opportunity to stick around. There are also a few guys in the higher levels we haven't seen yet who deserve a chance over Allen at this time.

 

If they can identify some things to get him pointed the right direction, great, sign me up. But Allen shouldn't be given any additional opportunities until he's earned them.

[darin617]

 

Maybe Wes Johnson can work some of his magic on him.

How can Wes Johnson do this while he is in the minors?

[Monkeypaws]

Wow, my #1 target this off season, for pennies on the dollar.

 

Cmon Wes, fix him!

[Seth Stohs]

 

Another nice signing, but I would like to have a great signing!  

 

I like getting vegetables at the grocery store, but I also like to buy a steak every once in awhile... 

 

It is possible to do both... but you can't avoid opportunities like this just because you want bigger moves. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

How can Wes Johnson do this while he is in the minors?

 

Allen will likely work with the pitching coach at whichever affiliate they send him to... He may start by just spending a few weeks in Ft. Myers and see what's going on. 

 

That said, Wes Johnson will definitely be involved. Maybe Allen will travel with the team for a bit. Presumably he'll be at Target Field for the upcoming homestand and throw a couple of bullpens with Johnson and develop an individualized plan for him (as they do for every player in the system). 

[Thrylos]

 

 

 

As with RHP Drew Hutchinson, who signed a minor league deal with the Twins on Friday, signing Allen to a minor league deal is a no-risk, potentially good reward deal.

 

 

 

Agreed, but those 2 do not belong in the same sentence.  Hutchison was never good, Allen was really good for a while.

[clutterheart]

Reclamation projects are fun. But damn it. This team is in first place and needs bullpen help.

 

Trade for someone good now please

[VATwinsFan]

 

How can Wes Johnson do this while he is in the minors?

Details, details.

[DocBauer]

Reclamation projects are fun. But damn it. This team is in first place and needs bullpen help.

Trade for someone good now please

 

Agreed 100%.

 

But the Allen signing does nothing to preclude real movement.

 

Remember all of those FA RP that were on the market? Most of them have been injured or poor. And Allen was one of the guys, me included, that a lot of us were pining for and expected. Maybe it was wrong time and wrong place for him. Maybe he's just toast. But maybe he just needs a different time and place and the Twins see something. Just a flier at this point.

[Twodogs]

You know, I guess after thinking about it, yeah it's a no lose situation, stick him in the minors and see if he can find something? If he doesn't nothing is lost, if he does, everything is gained. I think I have been thinking along the same lines with Ryan Madson, he could come in and be really tough for a couple of months at the end of the season? He has been just two years ago and he pitched in the world series last year so he'd be another one I'd try to bring in, stick him in Rochester for 2 - 3 weeks and see if he can regain some magic?

[darin617]

 

Allen will likely work with the pitching coach at whichever affiliate they send him to... He may start by just spending a few weeks in Ft. Myers and see what's going on. 

 

That said, Wes Johnson will definitely be involved. Maybe Allen will travel with the team for a bit. Presumably he'll be at Target Field for the upcoming homestand and throw a couple of bullpens with Johnson and develop an individualized plan for him (as they do for every player in the system). 

I was curious if they could do that. Just because he signed a minor league deal doesn't mean he has to report there? That's a good thing.

[ND-Fan]

I think they will make a move but its little early to make some deals because a lot of clubs are not ready to make a deal until we get closer to the trading dead line. All the teams are evaluating themselves now what there long term plans are and what if they were to trade would they be looking to get in return. The Twins are same I am guessing they are looking at what talent they are willing to trade and what's not to be traded. The Twins have some very pressing issues coming at the end of this season we are losing three pitchers to free agency and we could loose a fourth to if we decide not to pick up his option. This means next year we will be looking for a lot of pitching help in either free agent market or trade market plus what will be ready to called up. So these are considerations to think about too for the Twins because this club  if can keep quality pitching around they should be contender next season as well. I wish they had signed one these pitchers to longer term deal this spring but it didn't happen and I think the price has gone up with the way they have been pitching. Gibson and Ordorizzi I think will command good money this next off season if they continue to pitch like they have this season . Like always quality pitchers are going to command money and both these guys stock has risen now this year and especially when they are coming into their prime years next couple. 

[Parker Hageman]

My quick and dirty drive-by on Allen is that the velocity drop is a bit of a concern but what jumps out is how both his fastball and curveball have been ineffective.

 

So I went to look at StatCast's data and found that Allen has had significant issues tunneling his pitches in 2019.

 

Here are two Cody Allen outings versus the Twins, the first from 2017 and the second from this year. In 2017 his recognition point -- the point where hitters decipher the pitch type -- and the commit point -- where they swing -- have a tight cluster between his two pitches. It's difficult to distinguish the fastball versus the curve. This season however, after tinkering with his mechanics in spring training, it resulted in the two pitches being able to be recognized easier. The knuckle curve now tunnels through a higher spot than the fastball. Many teams now have those types of reports waiting for hitters (i.e. if you see the ball coming from this window, it's a X). 

 

 

 

Here it is at a glance:

 

 

Allen, despite the velocity in the low-90s now, still has a very high spin rate fastball -- one that would be the highest on the Twins' staff. that can play. Interestingly, perhaps because of his mechanics tinker or maybe because of the Angels direction, Allen did not use that fastball up in the zone as much as he did in his Indians days. 

 

The Twins will attempt to reign all this in. Unlike the Angels, they have a robust analytics team, coaching staff and now have shown they are effective at using both. 

 

I don't know if Allen will be able to get to where he needs to be but if the Twins can tweak him, he could be a very good arm in the bullpen down the stretch. Time will tell. 

[MNT1996]

This better not be the front office's only move to try and better the bullpen, but it probably will be given their history.

[by jiminy]

I love it. If anyone can spot and correct a glass it's this coaching staff.

 

I also like that this year is such an anomaly for him. He's never been this bad or walked this many people before. In his case, regression to the mean would be great!

 

 

[Old Twins Cap]

Unlike the Angels, they (the Twins) have a robust analytics team, coaching staff and now have shown they are effective at using both.

 

How long have we waited to believe that sentence to be a true statement?

 

New guys deserve a lot of kudos, and so does the Pohlad family for making the moves after the "total system failure" of starting the 2016(?) season with 9 straight losses and ending up with the worst record in baseball.

 

[ChrisKnutson]

Hopefully Allen returns soon and provides a well needed boost to our bullpen, but I definitely wouldn’t try and rush him back to the big leagues, because the most important thing at the moment for Allen (and his career) is to get himself right, even if that means spending the rest of the regular season in the minor leagues (or Fort Myers) and returning on a 1 year deal for the 2020 season.

 

Fixing Allen will be no small task for the organization, and doing so will take some time and effort, so we’ll have to be patient. In the meantime, the FO must continue pursuing bullpen help, although from now on, we should only be targeting proven arms like Smith, Doolittle, Vasquez, and Iglesias, instead of guys like Krol, Hutchinson, and Allen.

[Shaitan]

I think he's in toast but why not? It's a minor league deal. Even if they call him up, it's hard to imagine a worse performance out of the bottom-ranking bullpen arm at this point.

[Shane Wahl]

I would rather that he rest his back for a couple weeks and then go start pitching in AAA.

[bird]

 

Well if they wanted a dude with a 6.50 era in the bull pen they could have kept Reed?

 

 

Yes. That's it. They wanted a dude with a 6.50 era in the bullpen. Were afraid Reed might get better. No chance of that with this dude.

[bird]

 

You know, I guess after thinking about it, yeah it's a no lose situation, stick him in the minors and see if he can find something? If he doesn't nothing is lost, if he does, everything is gained. I think I have been thinking along the same lines with Ryan Madson, he could come in and be really tough for a couple of months at the end of the season? He has been just two years ago and he pitched in the world series last year so he'd be another one I'd try to bring in, stick him in Rochester for 2 - 3 weeks and see if he can regain some magic?

 

Yes.

[Sam Morley]

The risk is that he stinks and that he costs 2, 3, or 4... games before the Twins move on. Maybe the Twins can afford that. Maybe it's worth the risk; it probably is. But there is definitely a risk.