DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers have added a star free agent relief pitcher to what was already a solid bullpen.
Tommy Kahnle has agreed to a one-year deal with the Tigers worth $7.75 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
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Kahnle, 35, is coming off back-to-back excellent seasons with the New York Yankees, posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.128 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts across 83.1 innings.
The Tigers had a strong bullpen in 2024 from a run-prevention standpoint, but president Scott Harris said he wanted to add some swing-and-miss to that group during the offseason.
Kahnle certainly qualifies. On top of his 10.2 strikeouts per nine over the past two years in New York, he had a 36% whiff rate, a 31.2% chase rate, and a 25.7% strikeout rate last year -- all well above MLB average.
Kahnle has also posted elite ground ball and batted ball metrics over the past two seasons. His only weakness is an elevated walk rate -- 11.5% and 10.6% in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Tigers fans who remember Kahnle from his year and a half with the division-rival White Sox back in 2016 and 2017 won't recognize the pitcher they see in the Old English D.
It's a bit of a unique arsenal these days for Kahnle, who will throw his changeup more than 70% of the time and otherwise mostly rely on a four-seam fastball in the low to mid-90s.
That changeup generated an excellent 38.9% whiff rate and limited batters to a .157 average and .264 slugging percentage last season. Clearly, his approach works.
While Kahnle's age and walk rate certainly raise some concerns, the Tigers are getting a reliable, proven right-handed reliever to add to the late innings. He's only got eight career saves, but Kahnle could be considered for some ninth-inning appearances this year in Detroit.
This probably isn't the free agent move most Tigers fans want to see right now. Everyone is waiting to see what happens with third baseman Alex Bregman, who fits the team from a positional need perspective, but also as a veteran right-handed hitter.
Still, the Tigers got a little better today. And in a wide open Central Division, that's a win.