Inside The Pinstripes

Insider Predicts Yankees Beloved Reliever Will Sign With Red Sox

A fan-favorite New York Yankees reliever could be joining a major foe this offseason.
Grant Young|
Sep 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle (41) and catcher Kyle Higashioka (66) celebrate defeating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle (41) and catcher Kyle Higashioka (66) celebrate defeating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York YankeesBoston Red SoxMilwaukee Brewers

Since the current reliever free agency market has been moving slowly so far this offseason, longtime New York Yankees bullpen piece Tommy Kahnle still remains unsigned.

Kahnle hasn't ever profiled as a true closer during his MLB tenure, which is shown by his 8 career regular season saves in 10 seasons. However, his consistency combined with him having one of the world's best changeups would make him a valuable addition to the back of any bullpen.

If there's one reliever that can rival Kahnle's changeup, it's former Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams. However, Williams was traded to the Yankees this offseason. This means that Kahnle's value for New York has become lessened compared to what it would be for other teams.

This is what likely led to MassLive.com insider Chris Cotillo predicting that the Boston Red Sox will be the team to scoop Kahnle up in free agency during a recent episode of the Fenway Rundown podcast.

"I'm going to make a prediction here, and it's not going to be one Red Sox fans are going to love. I'm going to predict no on Arenado and no on Bregman, and that it ends up being Grichuk and either Robertson or Kahnle," Cotillo said when assessing the remaining moves Boston will make this offseason.

So not only did Cotillo predict Kahnle would join Boston, but he also listed righty David Robertson, who has spent much of his career in the Bronx.

In 31 career regular season appearances against the Red Sox (30 of which have come while he was on the Yankees), Kahnle has posted a 3.90 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 2 of his career saves across 27.2 innings pitches.

It would surely be tough for Yankees fans to see Kahnle heading to Boston.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung

Home/News