Long-forgotten Guardians outfielder elects free agency after Orioles DFA 

On Aug. 8, the Baltimore Orioles pulled off one of the more surprising roster transactions of the year when they signed former Cleveland outfielder Greg Allen to a major league contract. 

It took less than a week for the Allen era to end in Baltimore. 

On Saturday, the Orioles announced that they’d designated Allen for assignment as the corresponding move for the call-up of top pitching prospect Dylan Beavers. On Tuesday, Allen declined a minor league assignment in favor of free agency. 

Greg Allen elects free agency after Orioles DFA 

Allen’s time in Cleveland's organization started in 2014 when the organization selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of San Diego State. 

He made his major league debut three years later with a 25-game cameo with the Indians before he played in a career-high 81 games in 2018. That season also featured his signature moment when he belted a solo home run in the 14th inning to walk off the Houston Astros. 

He put together a subpar season in 2019 (.229 average in 91 games) and played in 15 games in Cleveland in 2020 before he was traded to the Padres alongside Mike Clevinger as a part of one of the best trades in Guardians history. 

Allen ended up only appearing in one game with the Padres in 2020 before being traded to the Yankees in the offseason, where he appeared in 15 games before being released

He then spent 46 games with the Pirates in 2022 and had another 22 game stint with the Yankees in 2023, which seemed like the last MLB action of his career until he resurfaced with the Orioles. 

The 32-year-old opened the year on a minor league contract with the Cubs where he hit .270 in 61 games at Triple-A before being released ahead of signing his contract with the Orioles. 

He appeared in seven games with the Orioles and went 0-for-13 with a run scored and a caught stealing. Now, instead of heading to Triple-A with Baltimore, Allen will head to free agency in the hopes of latching on with another franchise.

While that’ll likely be in the form of a different minor league contract, it seems like he values the ability to pick the place that he ends up next. 

And, in a bit of weird baseball serendipity, he shared the outfield with former Indians farmhand Daniel Johnson, who resurfaced with the Giants earlier in the year before Baltimore claimed him off waivers last week. 

Imagine telling someone that in 2019.