Most Likely Landing Spots for Cody Allen After Reliever Was Designated for Assignment by Angels

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Cody Allen was viewed as one of the premier closers in baseball not too long ago, but after a disastrous start to the season, that no longer appears to be the case. The reliever, who lost the closer's role in the Angels' bullpen early in the season, racked up a 6.26 ERA through 23 innings pitched for LA this season, and was designated for assignment earlier today.

Even though Allen has struggled in 2019, he still struck out 29 batters in the 25 games he appeared in and went 4-for-4 in save chances, so it's possible that he could turn things around if he lands with the right squad. With that in mind, here are the three most likely landing spots for Allen.

3. Cleveland Indians

Reuniting with the Cleveland Indians, Allen's former team, makes a ton of sense. While the Indians haven't quite lived up to expectations this season – they're 35-33 coming into play Saturday – the Cleveland bullpen has been great, leading the Majors with a 3.23 ERA. Given how integral the bullpen has been to Cleveland's success, adding Allen could be an insurance policy and the right-hander could even work himself back into his old form where he thrived throughout his career. Adding an arm like Allen's could get things trending in the right direction for both the reliever and his former team.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have been held back by their middling bullpen all season. The team has a combined bullpen ERA of 4.40 this season, which ranks No. 17 in MLB. Signing Allen could be a solid gamble for a team tied for the lead in the NL Wild Card race. If Allen gets back to his old self (3.14 career ERA), he could help take the Phillies over the top and into the playoffs.

1. Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves were reportedly in on the Craig Kimbrel sweepstakes, and Allen could be a nice consolation prize for the NL East leaders. Though he's not as splashy an add as Kimbrel would have been, Allen was really effective with the Indians, tallying at least 24 saves in each of his last five seasons with the team. A bullpen arm like Allen's could be the difference down the stretch for a team like the Braves.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.