The Boston Red Sox are adding a former division-rival pitcher to bolster the team’s bullpen.
The Red Sox have agreed to sign former New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle to a minor-league deal, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
Tommy Kahnle to Red Sox. Minors deal.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 17, 2026
Boston has reportedly been interested in Kahnle since January, when the team was inquiring about his services. The Red Sox also tried to sign Kahnle in 2023, but the Latham, N.Y. native took a bit of a pay cut to re-join the Yankees.
Kahnle is entering his 12th MLB season, with six of those campaigns coming as a member of his hometown Yankees. He has a solid 3.61 career ERA across 221 games pitching in relief for the Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Colorado Rockies.
Kahnle struggled last season in his lone year with the Tigers, posting a 4.43 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP over 63.0 innings pitched. He was coming off three consecutive seasons with an ERA below 3.00.
While it remains to be seen which Kahnle the Red Sox can expect next season, he certainly won’t be lacking in fire. Kahnle has made it a habit of taking out his anger on inanimate objects when he doesn’t perform up to standard, whether it’s a sunflower seed bin or even a literal fan.
