Dodgers sign WBC Team Canada pitcher to a minor league deal after middling stint in KBO

The World Baseball Classic is generally defined by the stars who show up and show out for their respective home countries, but it also serves as an international stage for MLB hopefuls to audition for the 30 organizations in the league.

Logan Allen, a former Padres prospect turned Guardians reclamation project, was forced to turn to the Korea Baseball Organization in 2025 after pitching his way out of the majors. However, a strong performance in the WBC with Team Canada was enough to attract the Los Angeles Dodgers' attention, as they've signed the 28-year-old southpaw to a minor league deal.

Expectations should be tempered for someone who is effectively a depth signing, but there's enough pedigree in Allen's track record to suggest the Dodgers won't have to wait for an emergency to break his glass.

Logan Allen faces long road back to MLB, but he has potential Dodgers can unlock

Canada's WBC run didn't make it out of pool play, so Allen only got two games to flex his KBO-improved muscles. Luckily, those appearances did go well, as he surrendered just one run and four hits in 3 1/3 innings.

He's only thrown 124 1/3 (mostly unsuccessful) innings in the big leagues, recording a 5.79 ERA and 5.33 FIP in that time. His jump to South Korea yielded marginally better results (4.53 ERA/4.41 FIP), but most importantly, he proved capable of handling a huge workload, eating up 173 frames for the NC Dinos.

Allen is a soft-tosser, but he's got a deep six-pitch repertoire designed to keep hitters off balance. His two best pitches, his sweeper and splitter, have historically yielded above-average results, suggesting that there's legitimate starter potential if the Dodgers can figure out how to help his below-average fastballs play up.

The real problem facing Allen is the Dodgers' depth chart, at least in the sense that he won't be the team's biggest priority to develop this year. In Triple-A Oklahoma City, he may not even crack the rotation, seeing as River Ryan is now destined to lead a group that also includes Kyle Hurt and Landon Knack.

In addition, fellow left-handed KBO convert Cole Irvin — once a mainstay in the Athletics' rotation — could slot ahead of Allen thanks to a more proven track record, though his spring training performance (9.00 ERA in four appearances) left a lot to be desired.

The dominoes may need to fall in a favorable way for Allen to get the length of leash he needs to earn his keep, but he's another intriguing reclamation project on a deep Comets team. And if there's one thing the Dodgers can literally never have enough of, it's rotation depth.