Tigers ink Kahnle to 1-year, $7.75M deal
The Detroit Tigers bolstered their bullpen by signing right-hander Tommy Kahnle to a one-year, $7.75-million contract, they announced Wednesday.
Kahnle, 35, re-established himself as a quality reliever over the past two seasons with the New York Yankees. Since 2023, he's put up a 2.38 ERA (179 ERA+) and 1.13 WHIP along with 94 strikeouts while allowing just 10 home runs across 83 1/3 innings. He was an important reliever for manager Aaron Boone during New York's American League pennant run last year.
Kahnle's devastating changeup is among the best in baseball. His main pitch averaged 87.4 mph and generated a 38.9 whiff percentage last season, while opponents hit just .157 against it. Kahnle relied heavily on the changeup, throwing it 73.1% of the time in 2024. His arsenal also features a fastball and the occasional slider and sinker.
The former fifth-rounder excels at missing bats, putting up a 36% whiff rate and 59.8 ground-ball percentage in 2024. However, he also posted BB/9 rates above four in each of the last two seasons. Additionally, Kahnle has battled injuries over his career. He made just 14 appearances from 2020-22 due to a torn elbow ligament, and he spent time on the IL in 2023 and '24 because of bicep and shoulder issues.
In Detroit, Kahnle could see work in late-inning and high-leverage situations, including potentially as a closer. He'll boost the back end of the Tigers' bullpen, which already has Jason Foley, Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton, and Will Vest.
Kahnle owns a lifetime 3.47 ERA, 3.62 FIP, and 1.23 WHIP with 452 strikeouts and eight saves across parts of 10 big-league seasons with four teams.
Kahnle joins starter Alex Cobb and second baseman Gleyber Torres among new additions to a Tigers team that shockingly reached the ALDS in 2024. President of baseball operations Scott Harris indicated that this signing won't be his last move.
"We're not done. We're going to try to find new ways to make this team better. There are a number of ways we can do it," Harris said. "I think (our) bullpen and our lineup are two areas that we are gonna look to upgrade if we can. But we also like our depth on both sides of the ball."
To make room for Kahnle on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated right-hander Alex Faedo for assignment, which Harris called a move "we really didn't want to make." Faedo was an effective reliever for Detroit last year, posting a 3.61 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 55 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings.