Tommy Kahnle Gives Detroit Tigers Quality Bullpen Depth
The Detroit Tigers added to the back-end of their bullpen on Wednesday afternoon by signing veteran right-hander Tommy Kahnle. The news was first reported by Jon Heyman on Twitter. Robert Murray later confirmed the signing, saying it is a one-year deal for $7.75 million.
Most fans expected the Tigers to add to their bullpen at some point, and Kahnle becomes the third free agent signed by the club this offseason, joining right-handed starter Alex Cobb and second baseman Gleyber Torres.
Who is Tommy Kahnle
Tommy Kahnle was originally selected by the New York Yankees with the final pick in the 5th round of the 2010 draft. He is the only MLB player ever from Division II Lynn University, which is in Boca Raton, Florida.
The Yankees left him unprotected before the 2013 Rule Five Draft, and the Colorado Rockies took him with the fourth pick. He spent parts of the the next two seasons with Colorado, posting a 4.14 ERA with 102 strikeouts and 59 walks over 102 innings. In Colorado he apparently did not get along very well with veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins.
Kahnle was then traded to the White Sox for the 2016 season. He put up a very solid 2.63 ERA in Chicago that year, but he struggled with walks, giving up 20 free passes in 27.1 innings. His big breakout came the following season, when Kahnle posted a 2.59 ERA with 96 strikeouts and just 17 walks over 62.2 innings. He had the 6th best K/9 by a reliever that year (13.79), and the 4th best K-BB% (30.9%).
He was so good in 2017 that the White Sox traded him back to the Yankees at the deadline, along with Todd Frazier and David Robertson. Right shoulder trouble led to an ugly 6.56 ERA over 23 innings in 2018. But he bounced back to have another strong year in 2019. Unfortunately, he hurt his elbow early in the 2020 season, and Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2021.
Tommy Kahnle resurfaced with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, though lingering arm issues held him to just 12.2 innings. But he showed enough to sign up for a third tour of duty with the Yankees in 2023. And he was a good reliever for them, posting a 2.37 over 83.1 innings. He also pitched 8.2 innings for New York in the postseason, where he allowed just two earned runs.
Kahnle has continued to deal with arm troubles. He lost time in 2023 to biceps tendonitis and right shoulder inflammation, which lingered into 2024 and kept him from pitching until late May. Over the past three years Kahnle’s ERA (2.44) has significantly outperformed his FIP (4.04), though there might be a good reason for that.
Tommy Kahnle’s Stuff
When he was younger Tommy Kahnle was a classic fireballer. In 2017 his fastball averaged 98 MPH and touched triple digits on several occasions. His changeup was always his main secondary pitch, though he also threw a sinker and a slider.
But as his velocity began to dip, Kahnle leaned more on his changeup. In 2019 it became his primary pitch, with 52% usage. And then when he returned from his Tommy John surgery the usage rose even more. He used it 76% of the time in 2022 and 2023, and then 73% of the time last year.
Kahnle still has a 94-96 MPH fastball when he needs it, but he throws it less than 20% of the time. No one else who threw at least 10 innings in 2024 used a changeup more than 53% of the time. His usage of the pitch grew to comical proportions, at one point throwing the pitch 61 consecutive times.
But why mess with something that works? His changeup has generated a whiff rate of 36-40% over the past three years, and batters have hit just .167 with a .290 slugging percentage against it. And he gets ground balls at a 58% rate. One would think hitters could adjust given how often he throws it, but so far they haven’t. Our old friend Jim Price would probably call it a trick pitch.
How Kahnle Fits on the Tigers
Tommy Kahnle probably won’t be the closer for the Detroit Tigers in 2025. But, if healthy, he will immediately slot into the mix at the end of games for manager A.J. Hinch. It will be fascinating to see what Chris Fetter, Robin Lund, and Juan Nieves cook up to help Kahnle stay effective, or even improve.
We would expect to see him primarily in the 7th and 8th innings, joining Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, Tyler Holton, and Will Vest to make for a formidable bullpen. We may also see recent 40-man additions Chase Lee, Tyler Mattison, and Tyler Owens join the mix at some point.
The Tigers will need to make room on their 40-man roster to add Kahnle. The most likely casualties of this signing are Mason Englert or Ryan Kriedler, though they may also try to sneak Lee back through waivers.
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Rogelio Castillo