Tommy Kahnle’s free agency sparks interest from 8 teams, including Yankees

Tommy Kahnle enjoyed arguably the best season of his career in 2024. In 50 games, the 35-year-old reliever finished with a 2.11 ERA, striking out 46 batters.

As his age may indicate, Kahnle possesses a deep bag of experience at the big league level and has represented the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and LA Dodgers apart from the New York Yankees, who he was most recently part of. For his career, Kahnle has a 10-14 record, with a 3.47 ERA and 452 strikeouts.

The two-year contract he signed in 2022 is set to expire and Kahnle is now effectively a free agent. According to sportswriter Jon Heyman, several teams are working at potentially securing Kahnle's services for next season, with the Yankees also among them.

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Keeping Tommy Kahnle is an important part of the New York Yankees' plans to improve this offseason

As last season progressed, Tommy Kahnle proved himself to be a reliable arm in the Yankees bullpen. In both the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals and the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, Kahnle was trusted with the baseball in key moments of the series, and he repaid that faith as he provided scoreless innings both times.

However, the season ultimately ended on a hugely disappointing note for Kahnle as he was charged with two runs in the Yankees' Game 5 loss to the Dodgers in the World Series, the final nail in the coffin that led to them losing the series 4-1.

Tommy Kahnle visited on the mound by Anthony Rizzo and Austin Wells in game five of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers - Source: Getty

Although that Game 5 performance was one to forget, Kahnle did more than enough earlier in the season and gave Aaron Boone an option he could look into in pressure situations.

With the Yankees on a mission to do whatever they can to ensure they enter the 2025 season with a much-improved squad after being outclassed by their NL counterparts at the end of 2024, fans will hope a deal to keep Kahnle in the Bronx is one that the organization can sort out as soon as possible, with the more pressing matter of keeping Juan Soto to also tend to.