General manager Billy Eppler said Allen will be the Angels' closer in 2019, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. "He has a history of pitching in big games and big spots," Eppler added.

EDGE Analysis

This doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Allen, who signed a one-year deal with the Angels earlier in the month, is clearly the most qualified back-end arm on the team. While the right-hander struggled in 2018 (4.70 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 1.5 HR/9), he's been one of the better closers in the game over the past five seasons -- evidenced by his 149 saves, 2.93 ERA and 11.7 K/9 over that stretch (411.2 innings) -- and will look to bounce back in 2019 with a change of scenery.

Allen has agreed to a one-year contract with the Angels, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The deal hasn't been made official just yet, but both sides have agreed to the contract in principle and it will become finalized after a physical. Allen posted a 4.70 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 67.0 innings a season ago with the Indians, and he saw his strikeouts decrease to 80 after punching out 92 batters in 2017. The 30-year-old reliever also gave up a career-worst 11 long balls. Despite struggling through one of the worst seasons of his MLB career, a change of scenery may be just what Allen needs to get back on track.

Allen did not receive a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Indians before Friday's deadline, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Allen will officially hit the free-agent market after spending the past eight years in Cleveland's organization. During the 2018 season, Allen appeared in 70 games and collected 27 saves out of 32 opportunities, but logged a career-worst 4.70 ERA and 4.4 BB/9. The soon-to-be 30-year-old still did a solid job for the Indians, but a slight dip in velocity -- from 94.3 mph in 2017 to 93.5 this season -- combined with a greater propensity for giving up the long ball (1.5 HR/9) prohibited him from being the All-Star closer that we've been accustomed to seeing.

Allen is expected to make an appearance out of the bullpen during Monday's series opener against the White Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Allen hasn't pitched in a game since Sept. 15, with manager Terry Francona instead opting to have the club's longtime closer toss bullpen sessions or throw from long distance in the outfield with the hope of staying sharp in October. The prescribed rest period was also influenced by Allen's ongoing struggles on the mound, which has been reflected in his ugly 1.48 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9 and 7-for-11 success rate on save chances since the All-Star break. While the right-hander expressed confidence that the time off has allowed him to fix some mechanical flaws, he'll probably need to perform well in his appearances over the final week of the regular season to guarantee himself a high-leverage role in the playoffs. For at least the time being, Brad Hand and Andrew Miller look like better bets for saves among the Indians' relievers as the regular season winds down.

Allen worked around a hit with a strikeout in a scoreless inning of work to earn his 27th save of the season Tuesday against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Allen entered with a two-run lead and promptly allowed the leadoff hitter to reach, bringing the tying run to the plate. He then buckled down at that juncture and retired the next three batters he faced to close out the victory. Allen's role has changed a bit with Brad Hand in the fold, but he's recorded two saves in the last three outings and should continue to see his share of opportunities as long as he keeps performing.

Allen (4-6) gave up two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one in an inning of work Wednesday, blowing his fifth save of the season in a 4-3 loss to the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

Entering the game in the seventh inning didn't help Allen reverse his recent skid -- he's blown three of his six save chances in August, posting a 5.23 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 10.1 innings on the month despite a 13.1 K/9. Expect Brad Hand to see most of the closing action for Cleveland until Allen rights the ship.

Allen (4-5) allowed two solo home runs without recording an out to take the blown save and loss against the Royals on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Allen entered in the ninth inning with a one-run lead and promptly served up a game-tying homer to Ryan O'Hearn followed by a walkoff homer to Hunter Dozier to take his fourth blown save of the year. Allen has now allowed runs to score in three consecutive outings and sports a 4.82 ERA over his last nine games, going 4-for-6 in save chances in that time. It's worth noting that Brad Hand has gone 4-for-4 in save chances with a 0.90 ERA over his last nine games.

Allen gave up one run on two hits and a walk but managed to pick up his 25th save of the season Monday in Boston.

EDGE Analysis

He didn't record a strikeout after entering the ninth inning to protect a 5-3 lead, but did enough to secure the win. Brad Hand recorded the final two outs of a scoreless eighth inning, coming in to face the lefty-hitting Brock Holt, who was then pinch hit for. This outing broke a streak of four straight scoreless appearances for Allen. While his numbers aren't elite by any means, he should still get a fair amount of save chances over the final five-plus weeks.

Allen walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 24th save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

He continues to split closing duties with Brad Hand, but the competition seems to have spurred Allen back to his usual dominant form -- he's now posted a 0.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB in 12 innings over his last 10 appearances while picking up two wins, four saves and two holds.

Allen allowed a hit and struck out a pair while recording a scoreless two-out save Sunday against the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Allen came into a precarious situation in the ninth inning, where the hosts had already scored two runs and had a pair of men on base. He allowed a two-run triple to the first man he faced but was able to close things out with a pair of punchouts. While Allen's performance wasn't ideal, he got the job done yet again and has now been charged with just one earned run over his last 9.1 innings to bring his ERA to 4.22.