7:15pm: Allen would receive a $1.4MM base salary if he makes the major league roster, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (on Twitter).
6:43pm: The Red Sox and outfielder Greg Allen have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.
Allen, 30 in March, has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past six seasons. Initially a Cleveland draftee, he spent the 2017-19 campaigns there as a depth outfielder before being dealt to the Padres in the 2020 trade that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego for a six-player package including Cal Quantrill, Austin Hedges and Josh Naylor. Allen would only appear in one game with the Padres and was designated for assignment the following offseason.
Traded to the Yankees, he spent most of the year in Triple-A after going unclaimed on waivers. The switch-hitter had a big season at the top minor league level to earn a brief MLB look, in which he hit .270/.417/.432 in 15 games. That was enough for the Pirates to take a flier when he hit waivers last offseason and the Bucs gave him his most extended major league run in three years.
Allen couldn’t maintain his 2021 form over a larger sample, hitting .186/.260/.271 with a lofty 31.3% strikeout percentage through 134 trips to the plate. Pittsburgh ran the former 6th-round draftee through waivers late last season. He cleared and elected minor league free agency at year’s end.
In exactly 800 MLB plate appearances, Allen is a .232/.299/.336 hitter. He’s hit 10 home runs with a below-average 5.6% walk rate. The speedster has been very effective on the basepaths, though, swiping 45 bases in 53 career attempts. That’s an excellent 85% success rate, including an 8-10 showing in 46 games with the Bucs last year.
Allen’s speed gives him the ability to cover all three outfield positions. Advanced metrics have been mixed on his work in center field. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him 12 runs below average in a little less than 1000 innings at the outfield’s most demanding spot. Statcast, on the other hand, has rated him three runs above par in center. He’s drawn unanimously strong marks in the corners, particularly in left field.
Boston doesn’t have much upper level outfield depth, with Allen presumably battling Jarren Duran and potentially a future acquisition or two for a depth role behind Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo and Enrique Hernández (who could also be thrust into a heavier infield workload thanks to the Trevor Story injury). Allen is out of minor league option years, meaning he’d have to stick on the active roster or be offered to other teams if he earns an MLB promotion at any point.
Start printing playoff tickets!
Our problems are solved!!
Never going to make fun of this kid. He might the smallest guy on the playing field, but he definitely plays with a big heart. Go get ‘em Greg Allen!
Yeah, Cap, understood. But apparently, playing for the Pirates meant their offensive strategy rubbed off on him. That is, he couldn’t hit and struck out a lot. And the big heart must not be enough here. Hell, they got rid of Chavis here who played all out every game
@tiredolddude- hey I hear you. Any word on where Bryan Reynolds Is going? Hearing the Rangers would offer Owen White, Brock Porter/Kumar Rocker, and Colby Winn. Any truth to that? Lmk. Sounds like a great trade for Pittsburgh.
*Cole
Allen had a very productive spring training for the Bucs last year and I had hoped he’d carried it into the regular season but he got injured and was never the same when he returned from IL.
The rumor mill here seems to change daily. We’ve heard Texas. We’ve heard Seattle. Difficult to assess what the Pirates are after beyond pitching
As stated before, my hope is they don’t get fleeced, that’s all. He’s not Soto but I would hope Cherington sticks to his guns
Don’t know if TheMan3 would agree, but my feeling is they are going to hold onto him until they are blown away. That may take a while
Bloom is better at signing free agents than you are at commenting.
Agreed. The facts and Tired times are in different places.
potentially a future acquisition or two for a depth role behind Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo and Enrique Hernández
==============================
They forgot Refsnyder.
But, where on the depth chart should he slot?
Fenway really needs a pair of CF-capablenguys for CF/RF. Sounds like he isn’t that.
So, aside from the weak bat, is he the defensive LFer, somewhere Yoshi was signed for but lacks any discernable glove to play?
So, now there’s what, turner and yoshi as DH, and turner/dalbec/et al at 1B? But no 2b/ss?
Ultimately, it’s milb depth so nothing to get worked up over, but, there’s other areas of need on the roster to focus on locking in auditions for, and, a no bat mediocre fielding OFer isn’t where the time should be getting spent right now
They needed more depth. Why complain about getting more depth?
Depth needs to be quality and be capable of fulfilling a potential need. Otherwise it’s clutter and a waste of time and space.
Right. I get it. Every player signed to a minor league contract should be capable of being a major league starter.
If only the general managers could figure out something so simple.
It’s something to get worked up over if the plan is to move Hernández to the infield.
Fair enough on us needing someone with a little CF experience, but the writers still should’ve included Ref as depth. He made it sound like Duran is out #4.
But I am not sure why you are listing Yoshi as a DH. He will be our LF.
The main reason I list yoshi as DH instead of OF is his glove/defensive skills.
In addition to his pretty much universally accepted below average fielding which sox scouts and others have acknowledged, I offer two more data points.
1) last season his former team slotted him at dh 80+ games and LF 30-something. Think JDM lite.
2) Japanese teams line-up their infielders much deeper than mlb teams, meaning, a) less movement is necessary to run routes to balls, and b) less arm strength and distance accuracy is necessary to hit your relay men getting the ball back in.
Given he was so widely panned as a sub-par fielder under the Japanese circumstances, it is rational to believe he will be equally poor or worse in mlb in that area of his game.
So, for everyone who cringed at the idea of JDM becoming an everyday LFer for BOS, now you’ve got a worse profiled defender signed for exactly that. To me, you slot people on your depth chart where their abilities line up to be the most positive, least negative, and everything else is “out of position.”
I’m sad to say I trust Devers defense more than Yoshi’s.
He was hurt when he DH’d last year. IRT to the cut-off depth, that’s true, but it is still 81 games in front of the wall.
Fkkk Bloom
I’d like to buy a vowel……
An O?
No, he obviously means an “I”.
When Hammurabi was on Wheel of Fortune, he traded an I for an I.
I know I tend to babble on. Sorry.
Abraham Almonte busy?
Yeah, the Mets snatched him up after he failed his physical for a KBO team. There is a very fertile market for mediocre OFs in the majors – been that way for too many years. Almonte and Allen are the kinds of players who have 9 lives.
Someone needs to start spinning the revolving door. Will he make it to April?
Typical Bloom signing. Nothing to get excited about, no reason to put his name on a jersey except with velcro and one more very inconsequential payment that adds no value. The fifth place team just added a journeyman player who won’t impact the wins in 2023. Great!!
Headline news!!
More money than Cruz??? This is messed up!
MiLB deal. Chill.
So? Still absurd that Cruz got so little
Cruz is an outlier and probably wanted to a roster spot and chance to win with a good team. When was the last time a FA signed for a $1M major league contract?
Quick answer: Erasmo Ramirez – 1 MM in incentives
So potentially a $2M deal. Not the same as Cruz.
It’s of little consequence, but Cruz’s deal could have incentives. Remember that Pollock deal that ended up with incentives?
I think Cruz received so little because there’s some law prohibiting Social Security recipients from making too much….
It’s called a bloom tax. You charge more because 1) you know you’re just wasting a year with zero chance at winning anything but last place, and, 2) because you know they’re desperate.
Wow
What is this jerk off stuff? My God, what have we become. I better wake up tomorrow to a José Iglesias signing.
I think they are bringing in Enrique for a concert.
Little know fact, his full name is Enrique Hernandez Jose Iglesias.
The fact that the fandom of the Boston Red Sox, one of the richest teams in the league with a rabid fan base, is openly begging for Jose Iglesias, speaks volumes about where this franchise stands
Hard to imagine a world where signing Iglesias would actually be an improvement. Yet here we are, waiting with baited breath for the next .200 hitting bench rider that bloom plucks from some other teams dumpster.
I started calling for Iglesias when the Bogey signing was announced, but, don’t expect it because he isn’t a good flip at mid-season and advanced metrics don’t like him at SS so bloom will probably ignore him
Actually you would love him if you saw him play every day. Good defense, pretty timely hitting and a smart base runner. He won’t light up the stats board but is a good ball player.
You had a guy that put up stats though so probably not good enough for you, just as every Yankee shortstop after Jeter don’t measure up, even though guys up the middle traditionally aren’t power hitter types.
Except the fanbase isn’t openly begging for Iglesias. You think two guys on this board is the “fanbase”?
The point is ANY fans (and there have been more than 2) being reduced to credibly thinking Iglesias is one of the best available options left open for a team like the RED SOX shows how badly mismanaged the team has been.
Take comfort in the fact Iglesias isn’t the bottom of the barrel. Andrelton Simmons is occupying that spot, so if Bloom even utters that name in passing, you’ll know you’ve officially reached bottom-feeder status.
Yes, two guys on this website represent the “fanbase”. Most of the “fanbase don’t even remember who Iglesias is.
Remember him or not, who cares. He’s probably the best option without having to trade even nothing type prospects for someone like the guy from the padres when we’re headed for last place anyways
Yeah, he is fine. Story had a .737 OPS last year.
Iglesias .708
Andrus .707.
Whatever.
Not only do I remember iglesias I remember who he was traded for…. Yeah I know a little more about the Redsox than that righteous man they call Brasier…
Hee, a major league outfielder given a minor league contract, imagine that. Some organizations actually are doing things.
All I hear Red Sox fans do is complain, but at least your GM does stuff.
Not the right stuff
Better than nothing. You wouldn’t like nothing, believe me.
Yes he does stuff. Allows iconic players to leave and makes up for it by signing scrubs. He does a lot! Want him so badly? You can have him.
Actually sounds like my team the last couple years. This off-season, crickets.
Crickets would be better. Making no moves, rather than a bunch of wrong moves, is an improvement.
It’s called addition by subtraction. Subtract bloom and you improve.
As far as I know every single team has signed a FA except the Marlins and every team has either signed a FA, made a trade or at least extended a player. There hasn’t been one team that has done absolutely nothing. Every GM has done stuff.
I get what you’re saying but it’s also about expectations and history. Sox fan hasn’t been able to come to grips with what’s actually happening so far.
As a Sox fan I get what they’re trying to do and why they’re doing it but don’t agree with the method.
Another one of Blooms bargain basement Such A Deal and another Bargain. This team is awful and it will be a last place finish with all the sub players Bloom picked up. The only positive of this is that they can send Chaim Bloom back to Tampa or to flip burgers somewhere. BTW Dave Dombroski must be laughing his rear end off at Bloom’s Bargain Basement pickups and the Trevor Story disastrous signing which continues to pay dividends.
Good depth signing.
Yeah a major league minimum at best for a guy like this.
Glad to see the Pirates strategy is being emulated in places like Boston, Milwaukee and Washington. I’d never have believed Pirates castoffs would latch on so easily. That Ben Cherington….he’s a great man
It’s a minor league deal.
this board is super odd.
I hope this is just Minor League depth.
Probably not if he doesn’t break camp and will opt-out is my guess.
If Hernandez moves to the IF then all bets are off.
bloom will be gone in 2024, well, this season at the end, its when his deal is up, if the red sox do 1 thing right, is fire GM’S/Presidents, they never feel inclined or a ‘friendship’ with them, after they let Epstein go’ i had truly seen everything, he was the most successful at everything he ever did with this franchise,
chaim just isnt for this city or market, even if you watch when hes at a press conference, hes so akward and outta place, like watch im then watch brian cashman, its night and day, he’s just not the guy, hes built for a SMALL MARKET team, hes miserable, cora is no longer the guy either, in 2018 he was, not anymore, this team needs a full franchise altering overhaul, if the teams not gonna be sold, they basically need to change everything else.
as a fan i dont want them sold, i simply want them to care again.
When Abraham Almonte isn’t available…
The speed guys, Duran, Hamilton, Allen…are going to be more valuable now beginning in 23…these idoits changing the rules of America’s Favorite Past Time every year like it’s a pickup game of HORSE in a driveway have made the basepaths 6″ closer together with bigger bases. That half a foot is where nearly every safe/out play made last year fell if I had to guess…no consider these fast guys have a limited number (2) throw overs from a pitcher to 1st base! That’s it! They also have a clock they can watch the pitcher must deliver by they can use to take off by…it’ll be a walk, SB, SB standing on 3rd for free almost for the speedsters. They’ll never be thrown out unless they trip
Yes, but the problem remains that Duran/Hamilton/Allen have to get on base in order for all that to play out. If they pinch run that’s only going to present only so many opportunities.
We’ve got 2 GM’s in Boston, arguably a big market franchise, both seemingly with the same philosophy, both battling it out for last place in their divisions, both trying to save money, one at the beginning of his career and one possibly at the end.
The fanbases don’t seem to be happy. Time for Ownership to make decisions if the boys aren’t willing to.
Maybe, a ‘Baby-step,’ Mr. Bloom, sign a SS before they are gone.
BB get an OC before they are gone.
With all these 4A signings, I’m getting fired up about the Woo Sox this year!