NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 15: Tommy Kahnle #41 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout during Game 2 of the ALCS presented by loanDepot between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images
After returning with largely the same group of veteran stars as they had on the team last year and enjoying the emergence of some promising younger players as well, the New York Yankees are eyeing a return to the World Series.
Behind the bats of Aaron Judge and Ben Rice and with franchise ace Gerrit Cole set to join Cam Schlittler at the frontline of the rotation, the team is seeing a potent combination of youth and experience in the batting order and the starting pitcher staff.
But the bullpen has been a different story.
“Camilo Doval, looked at as a setup man before Opening Day, has a 5.19 ERA and has allowed at least one run in seven of 17 games since beginning the season with three scoreless appearances despite cutting back on his walks,” Gary Phillips wrote recently for the New York Daily News. “Fernando Cruz, while pitching to a 2.37 ERA, is a fireman walking batters at a career-high clip. One of the aforementioned projects, Brent Headrick, got off to a stellar start, but he has been used as much as anyone in the majors and has allowed a run in each of his last three outings.”
Meanwhile, closer David Bednar has struggled to a 5.14 ERA this season while veteran Jake Bird has a 4.70 ERA.
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As a result, it seems the Yankees could be looking to bring in some new arms for the relief corps before the trade deadline. And old friend Tommy Kahnle, who the organization drafted in 2010, might be looking for a new home.
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“After breaking out with strong seasons for the (Chicago) White Sox in 2016 and 2017, he was traded to the Yankees where he was up-and-down as a late-inning option from 2017-2019,” MassLive’s Chris Cotillo wrote in an update on the veteran reliever, who is now a member of the Boston Red Sox organization. “In 2023 and 2024, Kahnle was back in New York as one of the best relievers in the American League and posted a 2.38 ERA while striking out 94 batters in 83 and one-third regular season innings.”
All told, Kahnle spent six total seasons with the Yankees in his two stints, logging more than 195 innings with a 3.31 ERA in that span. This season, pitching for the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, Kahnle has a 1.88 ERA in 13 games and he could be on track to opt out of his contract in pursuit of a big-league opportunity elsewhere.
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With Kahnle’s chance to test free agency coming up in the near future and his old team in need of some new relief options, it seems as if another reunion could be in store if Kahnle feels he’s ready to exercise that option when the time comes.
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