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New Red Sox reliever thinks he could push for Opening Day roster, but Boston can be patient
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- New Red Sox reliever thinks he could push for Opening Day roster, but Boston can be patient
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle arrived in Red Sox camp Thursday, exactly one week before Opening Day. While he thinks there’s a chance he’ll be ready to pitch for the major league team by that point, the Sox don’t have to rush.
Boston can choose to be patient with Kahnle, whose minor league contract became official Tuesday, because of the opt-out structure in the deal. Unlike other veterans who might have end-of-camp provisions that allow them to pursue other opportunities, Kahnle is locked in with the Red Sox organization for the first month of the season. According to a source with knowledge of the deal, Kahnle doesn’t have any opt-outs before an “upward mobility” clause on May 1 that would allow him to leave the organization if another team offers a big league roster spot and the Red Sox refuse to match. He has a straight opt out opportunity a month later, on June 1.
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Kahnle’s contract allows the Red Sox to see what they have not just in the final week of camp but also potentially in the first few weeks of the season at Triple-A Worcester. For his part, the 36-year-old thinks he could be ready for the opener after pitching in three games (including an exhibition) for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.
“If I needed to, yes,” Kahnle said. “It just depends on how they want to play this. I’m good for whatever. I definitely feel like I was ready to roll in the WBC. I had two outings and everything looked pretty good.”
Kahnle last pitched Tuesday, tossing a scoreless inning for the second time in three days in WBC pool play. Before outings against Nicaragua and the Netherlands, he faced the Marlins in a pre-tournament exhibition. Because he hasn’t pitched in more than a week, Kahnle will throw a bullpen at Fenway South on Thursday. He hopes to get into game action over the weekend and could make a late push for an open bullpen spot with a week to go.
The Red Sox have Greg Weissert , Justin Slaten and newcomer Danny Coulombe (if he’s ready) locked into bullpen roles along with closer Aroldis Chapman and setup man Garrett Whitlock . Lefty Jovani Morán and righty Zack Kelly have the inside track to claim two more. Kahnle, then, will compete with the likes of Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson, lefty Tyler Samaniego and non-roster invitees Kyle Keller and Tayron Guerrero for the final available spot . Boston could also view him as an alternative to the hard-throwing Kelly, who has minor league options.
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“It just looked like a good opportunity to make a big league team, especially a team that takes pride in winning,” Kahnle said.
Kahnle signed a one-year, $7.75 million deal with the Tigers last January and used his changeup-heavy approach to dominate early as he posted a 1.77 ERA in his first 34 games of the season through June. A blow-up outing on July 2 set the stage for a rocky second half that saw the veteran pitch to a 7.90 ERA in his final 27 ⅓ innings. Those results limited his market to where he had to sign a non-guaranteed deal late in camp.
Still, the Red Sox know the track record of an 11-year veteran who logged a 2.38 ERA in 92 appearances over a two-year period with the Yankees from 2023-2024.
“Changeups, throws strikes, been there, done that,” said manager Alex Cora. “He had a great season two years ago with the Yankees. Last year, he was really good in the first part of the season. It just didn’t happen for him or them in the second part.”
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Kahnle’s union with the Red Sox had been a long time coming. Under both Chaim Bloom and Craig Breslow , the club made repeated, serious pursuits to land Kahnle as a free agent. The Sox lost out to the Dodgers in 2020 and in 2022, New York beat the Sox out with a last-minute offer that caught some in the Boston front office by surprise .
“I went to sleep thinking I was going to be playing with Boston then I flipped my mind in the morning,” Kahnle said.
Things finally aligned this week.
“It feels pretty cool,” Kahnle said. “Alex (Cora) and the guys have tried to get me quite a few times I’ve been a free agent. It’s always been a destination I’ve wanted to play at, so the timing was right and they showed some interest again. I was happy to come aboard.
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“It came down to Boston again and I was like, ‘I’ve gotta go.’ It’s the fourth time they’ve tried to come after me.”
Kahnle’s contract would pay him $1.5 million if he reaches the majors and includes another $250,000 in potential incentives.
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