Tommy Kahnle has been one of the New York Yankees’ most consistent relief pitchers across the past decade.
He posted a 2.11 ERA in 50 innings pitched during the 2024 regular season, boasts an impressive 2.81 career postseason ERA, and has a 3.31 ERA, 251 strikeouts, and 4 saves in 221 appearances for the Yankees in his career, according to StatMuse.
Tommy Kahnle, Jiffy Lube Special. 🛢️ pic.twitter.com/uTUD0hdzr3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 12, 2024
Now Kahnle is an unrestricted free agent. While there’s still a chance he could re-sign with New York, there are surely other teams who are interested in acquiring the 35-year-old.
And in a January 17 article, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report called Kahnle a “realistic fit” in free agency for the Philadelphia Phillies.
“The Phillies have replaced Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez with Jordan Romano and Joe Ross so far this offseason, and while Romano was one of the more appealing buy-low bullpen arms on the market, he was non-tendered for a reason after struggling to a 6.59 ERA in 15 appearances during an injury-plagued campaign,” Reuter wrote after deeming the Phillies’ bullpen their biggest hole. “Signing Kahnle would add another veteran arm in the late innings”.
Kahnle went viral during the 2024 postseason after he threw 56 changeups in a row at one point, and used the pitch 90% of the time throughout the playoffs.
Given how excellent Kahnle’s changeup is against left-handed hitters, he’s uniquely qualified to face some of baseball’s lefties late in games. For this reason alone, he’ll continue to be a massive asset for whichever team decides to sign him.
