If there are any two units the New York Yankees need to upgrade this off-season, it is their starting pitching rotation and bullpen. Of course, they allocated major money toward Gerrit Cole in 2019, successfully establishing an ace.
However, they lost Luis Severino to Tommy John surgery and Domingo German to a domestic violence dispute last year. With the expectation that both will return at some point, the Yankees are still thin and shouldn’t be relying on two players who haven’t pitched in over a year. Severino hasn’t pitched a full game in almost two years, so preparing accordingly should be the Yankees’ priority this off-season. Aside from signing DJ LeMahieu, of course.
Nonetheless, the bullpen could use some extra arms as they lost Tommy Kahnle last year to Tommy John as well. However, Kahnle has resorted to free agency to test his options, but the Yankees would be smart to retain him on a rehabilitation contract worth about two years.
In 2019, Tommy finished with a 3.67 ERA, enjoying a 50.4% ground all rate and 12.91 strikeouts per nine. This was over a 61.1 inning sample size but did see his home run to fly ball ratio increased by nearly 11% compared to his career average. He allowed nine home runs, which was a cause for concern, but also struck out 88 batters and allowed 45 runs.
The Yankees saw significant potential with Kahnle and were expecting a big season from him this past year. His injury significantly hurt the bullpen and forced them to use more inexperienced arms.
MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch believes Tommy Kahnle returning makes more sense than James Paxton, both of whom finished the 2020 season injured:
Tommy Kahnle seems more likely to return than Paxton, perhaps on a two-year contract that would allow him to rehab for most of 2021. Kahnle was a significant loss for the bullpen last season, not just for his on-field performance but the joviality he brought behind the scenes. Several players have said that Kahnle’s energy would have made a difference in the tough stretches of the season, and he would have been a nice option for Boone during the playoffs.
I believe keeping Kahnle in pinstripes would be an efficient move, allowing him to rehab on a cheap contract and work his way back into the bullpen. Knowing what he has already is beneficial for the Yankees, but the injury could set him back significantly. Giving away charismatic talent who brings more than just on-field quality shouldn’t be in the Bombers’ game plan.