March 18th: Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that there are no short-term opt-outs in the Kahnle deal, though is an assignment clause on May 1st and then an opt-out on June 1st.
March 17th: The Red Sox reached agreement with veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Covenant Sports Group client will presumably be in camp as a non-roster invitee. Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News reports that the deal comes with a $1.5MM base salary and $250K in bonuses if he reaches the MLB roster.
Kahnle spent the 2025 season in Detroit on a $7.75MM free agent deal. It didn’t pan out as the Tigers envisioned. The right-hander allowed a 4.43 earned run average while striking out only 18.7% of opponents, easily a career low. The drop in production really came in the second half. Kahnle took a 1.77 ERA and solid 23.3% strikeout rate into July. He was blitzed for nearly eight runs per nine innings while walking more batters than he struck out the rest of the way.
There wasn’t any kind of dramatic drop-off in Kahnle’s stuff — not that hitters weren’t fully aware what was coming either way. Kahnle throws his changeup more than 85% of the time. That’s the highest rate in MLB by a mile. Devin Williams was the only other pitcher to throw a changeup (which is how Statcast buckets his trademark “Airbender”) at least half the time. Williams went to that pitch at a 52% clip.
Kahnle has had success with this approach for years, so it’s not as if hitters suddenly caught onto the pattern at last season’s All-Star Break. They did a better job laying off when he threw it out of the zone, though, leading to a drop in whiffs and a spike in walks down the stretch. The Tigers continued to use Kahnle in reasonably high-leverage spots and pitched him four times in eight playoff games. He gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks across 2 1/3 innings in October.
Although he’s signing just over a week from Opening Day, the 36-year-old Kahnle should be ready for the beginning of the season. He pitched in the World Baseball Classic for Israel, tossing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. The Sox have seven more Spring Training contests before heading to Cincinnati to open the regular season on March 26.
The timing of the signing probably isn’t a coincidence. Kahnle was an Article XX(b) free agent because he finished last season on Detroit’s major league roster. Those players receive automatic opt-out chances five days before Opening Day, May 1 and June 1 if they sign a minor league contract at least 10 days before the start of the regular season. Assuming Kahnle’s deal didn’t become official until today, he won’t meet that criteria. His camp could have negotiated separate opt-out dates into the contract, but there’s a decent chance he’ll open the season at Triple-A Worcester.
The pride of Shaker High School in Latham NY
There’s only like a week left in ST.
Good AAA depth though.
Was hoping we would take a flier on a reunion with Michael Kopech. He can still be fixed!! 🤪
Sean – I don’t think his shoulder, knee and arm can be fixed. It’s a shame, but not much you can do about it.
Unfortunate as he was/is a special kid. Saw him pitch an immaculate inning once and he would routinely start 4 or 5 innings with a no hitter. Think one malady contributes to another: one surgery after another. Add him to the just couldn’t stay healthy gang that imperiled the White Sox.
Apparently he’s recovered from the knee surgery and looking for a place to pitch
Sean – Sorry, I meant can’t be fixed longterm. Hope I’m wrong, but he’s definitely got the odds working against him.
78th percentile extension, I see you Craig.
Maybe he can help some of the younger guys in AAA improve their changeups.
This guy’s intense. The way he used to run in from the bullpen like Forrest Gump returning a kick
I like the move.i also would sign Kopech.
I have to assume Kopech has something amiss physically/medically, else he would have signed somewhere by now.
We have signed other rehabs.He has a good arm.Why not take a chance.
He would need to want to, though. Presumably, he wants a better deal than he has yet been offered. Perhaps he has a rosier view of his medicals than teams do.
Good dude, but good luck. Very small margin for error with TK. Relievers who can only throw changeups are time bombs.
Ron he’s 36 and with a 3.61 ear in his 12 year mlb career. He’s ok
he’s only due $1.5 million. very low risk for a veteran arm; potential high reward. If it doesn’t pan out, cut him. no loss at all in the check book.
Man this guy is a trip. Seemed like the Mariners hit a lot of homers off him last year.
They did I have one on my mantle
On a minor league deal, this is worth the risk to see if last year was an aberration and he has more left in the tank. If he can get back to form and put up sub 3.00 era again it would be a huge help. If at 36, he really is done, we’re not losing much.
Nice depth move by Breslow
Increases in walks and homers and a decrease in K’s is a recipe for disaster. Thats what hit Kahnle in the second half of 2025. As the article said, batters started laying off of changeups which started off low in the zone but were balls. Then he would elevate a bit and Bam!
So they finally got him…
He was shot by mid season in 2025… then, inexplicably, with Hurter still available, Hinch puts him in against Seattle in the most important game of the season and he promptly blew it with awful pitching. His changeup doesn’t fool anyone anymore, and beyond that pitch, he’s got nothing. This guy hurts any team more than he helps at this point, better off with a guy up from AAA.
He sucks. Hoping he gets to pitch against the Tigers and gets lit up.
Actually, you suck.
As a hitter you look Fastball and adjust to Change Up… vs T K…. just look change up and forget anything else.
Well surely after he’s thrown 3 into the dirt the batter won’t be expecting a fourth Change-up in the center of the zone!
Threw his change up 56 times in a row in the 2024 post season.Has unhittable stuff but walks a lot of hitters.If healthy could be great.
I’m going to say that if you throw it 56 straight times, it’s no longer a change up.
Maybe it’s just a “same up”.
made me laugh
Assignment clause on May 1st? I assume that means that other clubs can offer him a spot on their 40-man roster come May 1st and if the Sox don’t do the same then he can leave for a new club?
June 1st opt out is self-explanatory. I just don’t recall seeing the term “assignment clause” for a minor leaguer before. Maybe my mind is starting to slip….
Yes that’s exactly what an assignment clause is. If the Sox don’t have a spot for him by then they have to offer him to every other MLB team. If one of them will give him a major league spot then the Sox have to trade him to that team.
Speaking of relievers, Noah “Lotta” Song’s had a nice spring so far. Wonder if he will get to join the chorus in the bullpen. Quite the Journey for him, time to Look Into The Future if it’s Not Too Much.
Noah Song meets Neal Schon.
Song was just optioned to AAA.
Song’s “good spring” was all of 8 innings primarily late in games when lower level minor leaguers were in the games. That’s not a lot to “earn” a spot in the majors off of.
Fenway is probably not the best park for him, but he couldn’t afford to be picky at this point.
He’s made 30M. He can afford to do whatever dafuq he wants.
Peter Gammons once said Skip Lockwood’s changeup used to switch platforms at North Station.
I’m a little confused by this signing because this was a guy I’d always want to see pitch against the Red Sox.