Cody Allen, Cleveland's all-time saves leader, retires

Right-handed reliever Cody Allen received interest from teams earlier this offseason, but he has decided to retire, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Allen, who turned 32 in November, is best known for what was largely an excellent run with the Indians. The club selected him in the 23rd round of the 2011 draft, and he debuted just a year later. From then through 2017, Allen notched a 2.67 ERA with a 31.5 percent strikeout rate and a 9.5 percent walk rate in 373 2/3 innings. Allen averaged about 95 mph on his fastball during that span, amassed 67 or more innings in five seasons, and saved 122 of his 140 chances — good for a tremendous 87-plus percent success rate.

While Allen was a gem in Cleveland for the majority of his career, his production started to drop off in his last season with the team in 2018, though he did save another 27 games that year. The Angels then signed Allen to an $8.5M guarantee heading into 2019, but the union didn’t work out for either side. Allen tossed 23 innings with the club and recorded a 6.26 ERA with a career-worst 17.2 percent walk rate and a personal-low 92.3 mph fastball velocity. The Angels released Allen in June of that season, and he didn’t pitch again after that despite signing minor league contracts with the Rangers and Cubs last winter.

Allen’s time in the bigs concluded with a 3.14 ERA and 153 saves in 463 2/3 innings. MLBTR congratulates Allen on a solid career and wishes him the best in retirement.