Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 35 (08/07/1989)

2024 Traditional Stats: 50 G, 42.2 IP, 0-2, 2.11 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 46 SO, 19 BB
2024 Advanced Stats: 179 ERA+, 25.7% SO%, 10.6% BB%, 3.20 xERA, 4.01 FIP, 3.55 xFIP, 0.1 fWAR, 0.8 bWAR

Rundown

Tommy Kahnle first broke onto the scene in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies where he would spend two years before bouncing around back to the team he was originally drafted by, the New York Yankees (fifth round, 2010), in 2017. He would stay with the Bronx Bombers till 2020, but after Tommy John surgery in August of that year, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and missed all of 2021 and only appeared in 13 games in 2022. Kahnle would then go back to the Yankees for the 2023 and 2024 seasons where, yet again, he’s a free agent.

This past season Kahnle was a backbone of the American League pennant winning New York Yankees bullpen as a premier setup man, which has been one of his main roles since entering the league. He’s been one of the most consistent relievers in baseball since returning to the Yankees in 2023, carrying a 2.38 ERA over 83 1/3 innings which will lead to the veteran being pursued by multiple contending teams.

Kahnle was a headline during this past playoff run as he threw 61 changeups in a row. Which, on the surface, seems absurd. However, there is a great reason why:

According to the Stuff+ metric (a pitch model that estimates the deception or “nastiness” of a pitch based on its movement profile), it was graded at 119, which is well above-average. Not to mention, his changed had a .157 batting average against and a .232 xwOBA during the regular season, both absurd numbers. Bottom-line, it is one of the best pitches in the big leagues, and according to Baseball Savant, was the fifth best changeup in the league.

Kahnle doesn’t only have a changeup, even though it feels like it as he throws it 73.1% of the time, as he also carries a regular four-seam fastball, a slider, and a sinker. The four-seam gets 19.3% usage while the slider and sinker usage is under six percent. While he doesnt throw the slider much, it does grade positively on both the Stuff+ at 116.

Over the last three seasons, as evident by ERAs of 2.84, 2.66, and 2.11, Kahlne has been one of the better relievers in baseball. Despite being 35 years old, if he can stay healthy, he should be a weapon for any team in 2025.

Contract

Coming hot off a two-year deal worth $11.5 million, MLB Trade Rumors is predicting another a two-year contract worth $13 million. This is a slight bump in pay from the $5.7 million annually he was making with the Yankees the past two years. Even he stays healthy, he would be well worth this given the forecasted performance.

Recommendation

The Mets like every other team in baseball will be looking for bullpen help, and Kahnle will be on a list for a lot of teams, and that is no different for the Mets. It makes sense, Kahnle on the back half of his career doesn’t have to move too far, and the Mets add a much needed high-leverage arm behind Edwin Díaz. As it currently stands, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Núñez are currently the next two relievers in line behind Díaz.

With this in mind, it is no secret president of baseball operations, David Stearns, will be active in the reliever market. If he so choses to go the route of Kahlne, that would be a great start in filling out the currently desolate Mets bullpen in 2025.

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Ryne Stanek, a key piece after coming over from the Mariners midseason, is a free agent. Phil Maton‘s status is also up in the air. The team has a $7.75 million option to pick up the 31-year-old’s contract. Additionally, president of baseball operations David Stearns said that David Peterson, Tylor Megill and José Buttó may all find themselves in the ‘pen (or starting) come 2025. The situation is fluid.

Here are six relievers the Mets should take a look at.

Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Estévez

Stats: 4-5, 2.45 ERA, 0.90 WHIP

The 31-year-old right-hander acquired by the Phillies from the Angels midseason had a career year, eclipsing his previous career-best ERA by more than a run. He struck out 50 and walked 12 in 55 innings while recording 26 saves between the two clubs. (He also would not have to face Francisco Lindor again, who tagged him for a grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS.)

Tanner Scott

Stats: 9-6, 1.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP

He will be one of the more coveted relievers this offseason and the Mets could use a quality left-hander to complement righty closer Díaz. Scott, 30, fanned 84 in 72 innings and tallied 22 saves combined for the Marlins and Padres, where he was traded at the deadline. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief with seven strikeouts for San Diego in the playoffs. He won’t have a qualifying offer attached to him.

Clay Holmes

Stats: 3-5, 3.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

It was an uneven year for Holmes with the Yankees. He saved 30 games, but led the majors in blown saves with 13 and lost his closer job. Still, the 31-year-old struck out 68 in 63 innings and has fanned more than a batter per inning for four consecutive seasons. In 10 1/3 postseason innings so far, the right-hander has given up three earned runs.

Jeff Hoffman

Stats: 3-3, 2.17 ERA, 0.96 WHIP

He saved 10 games and struck out 89 in 66 1/3 innings for the Phillies while walking 16 and pitching to the lowest ERA of his nine-year career. The 31-year-old righty spent five years with the Rockies and two with the Reds before landing in Philadelphia, where he was a first-time All-Star this season.

David Robertson

Stats: 3-4, 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP

The 39-year-old ex-Met had an excellent season with the Rangers, striking out 99 in 72 innings and saving a couple of games. The right-hander is a 16-year MLB veteran with 177 career saves who could have another good season in him and provide invaluable insight to the Mets’ younger pitchers. He is 6-0 with a 3.04 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 47 1/3 career playoff innings.

Tommy Kahnle

Stats: 0-2, 2.11 ERA, 1.14 WHIP

The 35-year-old right-hander who had Tommy John surgery in 2020 has put together back-to-back good seasons with the Yankees. This year, he fanned 46 in 42 2/3 innings and walked 19. He has tossed 8 2/3 scoreless postseason innings with seven strikeouts. He’s got a ferocious change up that would play well in the middle of the bullpen.

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Tommy Kahnle has returned to the New York Yankees after signing a two-year, $11.5 million contract on Tuesday. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

As reported by our very own Michael Mayer, the Mets had shown some interest in the right-handed reliever earlier in the offseason with the front office needing to rebuild the bullpen for the 2023 season. Kahnle also attracted interest from a number of other teams, including the Boston Red Sox, despite not being able to stay on the field over the last few years.

Kahnle has thrown under 14 innings over the last three seasons, with just over 12 of those innings coming during the 2022 season. The 33-year-old tossed just one inning for the Yankees in 2020 before undergoing Tommy John Surgery, returning with the LA Dodgers last year. Kahnle pitched just four innings before being shutdown for most of the season with forearm soreness, before appearing in nine games towards the end of the year. He had a 0.84 ERA over that stretch.

Drafted by the Yankees in 2010, Kahnle has been a very effective reliever when he’s healthy with a career 3.78 ERA in just over 290 innings. However, the problem has been staying off the shelf for the righty and he has appeared in over 40 games in a season just three times since 2014. His dominance down the stretch in 2022 shows the high ceiling and why there were a host of teams interested this offseason.

Kahnle was almost un-hittable for the Dodgers late on in 2022, allowing just one run over 8 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and one walk. He dominated hitters with a filthy 90 m.p.h changeup, which he threw an incredible 83 percent of the time, while his 4-seam fastball sat at 95-96 m.p.h.

With Kahnle now off the board, the Mets will have to shift their attention to other bullpen targets with the offseason now truly cooking after a slow boil to start. Outside of elite closer Edwin Diaz, who signed a record-breaking five-year, $102 million contract earlier in the winter, there is a lot of uncertainty in the bullpen and the front office still need to go out and sign a high-end lefty arm that can deal in high-leverage situations.

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Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin of New York Post

Today marks the beginning of the annual MLB Winter Meetings. This year, the meetings will be held in San Diego, California from December 4 through 7. The New York Mets still have a lot to achieve in order to produce another World Series contending roster in 2023. Hopefully, these meetings in San Diego, along with the Jacob deGrom deal signed Friday night, will jump-start an otherwise league-wide quietness thus far this off-season.

The only major move the Mets have made thus far this off-season was handing out a well-deserved five-year, $102-million extension to Edwin Díaz. In addition, the Mets have also brought in a plethora of pitchers (relievers) who may compete for a roster spot out of training camp or be looked upon as depth. These include Tayler Saucedo, Stephen Ridings, Jeff Brigham, Elieser Hernandez, William Woods, Denyi Reyes, Zach Muckenhirn, and Jimmy Yacabonis.

Potential Spending Consequences

To understand what the Mets have to work with, analyzing their current payroll would be wise. Currently, per Sportstrac, New York has a total active payroll of $184,674,999. This figure currently tops the major leagues. It is also $48,325,001 off the first luxury-tax threshold of $233 million.

Though, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, when adding in the projected arbitration/pre-arbitration figures, money retained by New York, and other adjustments and benefits, this figure jumps up to $242,675,000. A figure already above the first aforementioned luxury-tax threshold. As you can see, the Mets are once again expected to blow through the thresholds. Thank you, Steve Cohen.

Specifically, given this is the second year in a row the Mets are expected to pierce the threshold, they will have to pay a 30% tax on all overages. Further, as the Mets spend more and more, as they are expected to, surcharges will be applied. You can find that breakdown below:

• $253 million to $273 million: 12% surcharge
• $273 million to $293 million: 45% surcharge (would be second-straight year)
• Over $293 million: 60% surcharge

You can read a more in-depth explanation on the potential penalties here.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Current Roster Outlook

As mentioned above, the Mets have plenty of holes concerning their roster general manager Billy Eppler and team must work to plug in the coming months. There are several individuals who played vital roles on the team last year that currently lining the free agent market. One including the Mets former two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher who signed with the Texas Rangers.

Further, as was evident by the team’s early exit in the 2022 playoffs, the team’s roster, as it was, had holes to begin with. So, with all that in mind, what are the Mets currently working with?

Starting Rotation

After picking up Carlos Carrasco‘s team option, the Mets’ rotation projects as such:

1. Max Scherzer
2. Carlos Carrsco
3. David Peterson
4. Tylor Megill
5. Joey Lucchesi

Really, the only other option on the 40-man roster with major-league starting experience is Elieser Hernandez. As you can see, the current rotation is desolate, thanks in large part to Jacob deGrom signing elsewhere and Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, and Trevor Williams all littering the open market.

Expect an extensive rebuild of the rotation in the coming days and weeks.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Bullpen

As mentioned above, the only major move New York has made this off-season concerned the team’s bullpen. Edwin Díaz is back, along with him, the only other meaningful contributors to the bullpen last year that are still on the 40-man roster is Drew Smith. The triplets of Yoan López, Bryce Montes de Oca, and Stephen Nogosek are also all still on the roster, though, each are far from proven commodities and likely cannot be relied on. At least not right away.

An interesting candidate is former Marlins’ reliever John Curtiss who missed all of last season rehabbing back from Tommy John surgery. He has 3.63 ERA across 86 1/3 career major-league relief innings. Further, as mentioned above, the Mets brought in a large number of individuals likely to challenge for a spot in the bullpen come training camp. The headliners being Jeff Brigham, Jimmy Yacabonis, Stephen Ridings, Tayler Saucedo, and William Woods.

The Mets have expressed reported interest in bringing back 2022 bullpen stalwart Adam Ottavino. Other major contributors out of the bullpen last season that are free agents are Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Joely Rodriguez (signed with Boston), Mychal Givens, and Tommy Hunter.

By far, the area of the Mets that will need to be addressed the most by Eppler and the Mets in the coming days and weeks.

Position Players

Most of the 2023 Mets will consist of different faces from the 2022 club. Though, the lineup and bench should stay relatively intact. Here is how the Mets’ depth chart currently projects given those listed on the 40-man roster (no specific order):

• C: James McCann, Tomas Nido, Francisco Alvarez
• 1B: Pete Alonso
• 2B: Jeff McNeil
• 3B: Eduardo Escobar, Brett Baty
• SS: Francisco Lindor, Luis Guillorme
• LF: Mark Canha
• CF: to be determined.
• RF: Starling Marte
• DH: Daniel Vogelbach, Darin Ruf, Mark Vientos

There are also younger players in the minor leagues that can fight for spots out of training camp.

The only major loss from last year’s club currently is Brandon Nimmo. He is a free agent, as well as the likes of Tyler Naquin and Dominic Smith. Each of which had some run in the major leagues with the Mets last season.

The Needs

After analyzing the breakout above, the target area for the Mets is clear: pitching. Of course, that cannot be their only area of target. As the lineup is lacking an outfielder, either center or right dependent on where Starling Marte roams next year, as well as a full solution to the designated-hitter (DH) role. Though, a second baseman may also be a potential need if the Mets decide to move Jeff McNeil to the outfield and roll with a Marte, Mark Canha, and McNeil trio.

Credit: USA Today

Pitching 

New York is likely needing to add two more starters at the minimum. One of which will need to be top tier. With deGrom officially off to Texas, the Mets top-tier options are now limited. New York has reportedly had zoom meetings with the other top free agent starting pitchers in Carlos Rodón and Justin Verlander. Signing either of those are as close as a must now with deGrom gone, and it would instantly solve their need for a top of the rotation arm to pair with Max Scherzer.

Carrasco and Peterson would likely be serviceable to fill out the bottom of the rotation. Though, that would leave one more glaring hole as relying on either Joey Lucchesi or Tylor Megill in the rotation would not be something a potential World Series winning roster would be composed of. The Mets have already been tied to both Kodai Senga and Jamison Taillon, each of which would fill that last spot well. New York was also linked to Andrew Heaney earlier in the off-season. A potential under-the-radar option.

Of course, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker are both out there as well. Bassitt was very effective for the Mets, and they reportedly have been in contact with him. Walker, although some good moments, will likely get paid more than his value on the open market.

Other potential options on the market – in order of total WAR last season – are Jose Quintana, Ross Stripling, Corey Kluber, Noah Syndergaard, Michael Wacha, Sean Manaea, Nathan Eovaldi, among others.

Worth pointing out, SNY reported on the Mets targeting two levels of pitcher. One of the two elite ones left, as well as one from a middle tier compromised of the likes of Taillon, Senga, etc. Rightfully so.

As for the bullpen, the Mets have a lot more work to do there. New York only has two relievers guaranteed to be in the major leagues come next season (Díaz and Smith). That leaves about five open spots. Some of those can be potentially filled in-house (large list of examples above), though, given those options bringing in two-to-three guys would be wise.

As mentioned above, the Mets are interested in bringing Ottavino back which would be a great start. It was also recently rumored they have been tied to veteran Tommy Kahnle.

Other top names, specifically those that are right handed, consist of Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, David Robertson, Brad Boxberger, and Michael Fulmer. The top left-handed relievers are Taylor Rogers, Andrew Chafin, and Matt Moore. Any of those would be terrific adds for the Mets.

Of course, free agency is not the only route the Mets can go. We saw New York trade for Chris Bassitt and Joely Rodríguez last season. Though, candidates in the trade market are much harder to predict.

Pablo López was reportedly almost dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline last year. Meanwhile, the Rays’ extreme pitching depth and potential 40-man roster issues may force their hand in trading someone like Tyler Glasnow, Jeffrey Springs, or Drew Rasmussen. Shane Bieber’s name has also been thrown around.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Hitting

As prefaced above, the Mets are likely going to need the hole left by Brandon Nimmo if he is not brought back to New York, as is still very possible. This year’s hitting market is headlined by star shortstops, each of which likely will not be on the Mets’ radar given the fact they already have their own franchise middle-of-the-diamond man. Though, Trea Turner has played second base, if there is any premier hitting target the Mets may chase, he would be the guy. However, the chances of that happening appear to be slim-to-none.

Speaking of guys that play second base, if the Mets were to move McNeil to the outfield, former Phillie, and renowned Mets’-killer, Jean Segura, is on the market. The contact-hitting Adam Frazier is also a free agent.

As for the outfield, if Nimmo does not re-sign and the Mets keep McNeil at second base, there are options, though limited. The top of the market consists of the likes of Andrew Benintendi, Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto, Jurickson Profar, and Cody Bellinger.

The last offensive need is some more pop. One of the knocks on the Mets’ offense last year was the lack of power, whether it be extra-base hits or home runs. The Mets lacked a slugger outside Pete Alonso. An area in the lineup where it can be used is in the DH position. New York lacked to find the answer there most of last season. After Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis both faltered there, the Mets turned to a platoon of sorts consisting of Daniel Vogelbach, Darin Ruf, and Mark Vientos. Outside some sustained success from the physically-limited Vogelbach, the DH-spot was a black hole.

Potential free agents that can help fill this void are Josh Bell, Justin Turner, Brandon Drury, J.D. Martinez, Michael Brantley, or Trey Mancini. Or, another potential intriguing option is bringing in one of the top free agents in Willson Contreras to catch while Francisco Álvarez works on his defensive game as he serves as the team’s DH next season.

As with the pitchers, the Mets can conversely address their lineup via trade rather than the open market. Some names that may be available and would fit a need are the likes of Christian Walker, Daulton Varsho, Anthony Santander, Rhys Hoskins, among others. Also, Bryan Reynolds reportedly requested a trade on Saturday. Though, the Pirates responded explaining he is going to remain with the team.

Final Thoughts

Of course, it is way easier said than done, but the Mets plan entering the Winter Meetings and the rest of the off-season is clear.

They need to address the rotation via adding a couple arms. Specifically one of elite status, one to pair with Max Scherzer, formalizing a one-two punch the Mets wanted to have last season. The bullpen is where New York has the most work to do. There are several strong names out there, so general manager Billy Eppler and the Mets do not have any excuse to not adequately address that area.

Lastly, a bat to replace the potential loss of Brandon Nimmo. As well the need to address the woeful DH spot would be ideal. Though, you can hopefully count on some of the young guns, such as Francisco Álvarez and/or Brett Baty to produce next season.

As mentioned above, addressing these needs can either be done via the open market or potentially through trade. In doing so, expect the Mets to fly through the luxury tax and potentially creep toward the “Steve Cohen tax.” The Mets appear serious about winning, and they have a lot of work to do. Expect them to be extremely active in filling their several aforementioned holes in the coming days and weeks.

The post Previewing The 2022 Winter Meetings From The Mets’ Perspective appeared first on Metsmerized.

Tommy Kahnle 

Age: 33 (8/7/1989)
B/T: R/R

2022 Traditional Stats: 13 G, 0-0 record, 12 2/3 IP, 2.84 ERA, 0.632 WHIP, 14 SO, 3 BB
2022 Advanced Stats: 151 ERA+, 4.38 FIP, 9.9 SO/9, 30.4 SO%, 6.5 BB%, 0.3 bWAR

Rundown

It’s easy to tell when a bullpen is good, and it’s even easier to tell when a bullpen is bad. Nevertheless, the art of building a reliable bullpen proves to be a difficult task year after year for every team, even those teams with World Series aspirations. A player like Tommy Kahnle could very well move the needle for one of those teams.

A nine-year veteran with almost 300 appearances under his belt, Kahnle is no stranger to this sort of role. Kahnle made his major league debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2014 and has pitched in three different postseasons with the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kahnle’s best season was in 2017, compiling a 2.59 ERA across 69 appearances. He pitched effectively as the set-up man for the Chicago White Sox before being traded at the Trade Deadline to the Yankees, where he was an integral part of the bullpen during the team’s run to the ALCS.

Kahnle features a two-pitch mix of a changeup with devastating break and a four-seam fastball in the mid-90s. Despite his limited arsenal, Kahnle has developed great pitch accuracy, leading to low walk numbers and an impressive WHIP.

However, Kahnle has not had many opportunities in recent seasons to put his talents on display. He made a career-high 72 appearances for the Yankees in 2019, but he has made just 14 appearances (13 2/3 innings) over the course of the past three seasons due to Tommy John surgery and various issues throughout his recovery.

He looked really good in a limited run for the Dodgers during the regular season in 2022, demonstrating elite swing-and-miss stuff and doing an excellent job of limiting baserunners. However, his lack of regular game action showed in the postseason, as he allowed three runs in just two innings of work during his team’s loss in the NLDS.

Kahnle has made more than 40 appearances in just three of his nine seasons in the majors, and at 33 years old it is fair to wonder how much longer a player with his injury history can hold up. Still, it is hard to argue with the results he has been able to provide when he has been healthy, and relievers with the upside that Kahnle possesses will always have a market.

Contract

Kahnle is coming off a two-year, $5.25 million contract with the Dodgers, but that number is skewed as Kahnle had undergone Tommy John surgery prior to signing and it was known that he would miss the entire 2021 season as part of his recovery.

The initial optics would suggest that Kahnle’s next contract will be for much less money given how much time he has missed with injury, but the general talk among baseball insiders is that plenty of teams are vying for his services. A bidding war could certainly take the price for Kahnle beyond what anyone who has effectively missed three straight seasons could possibly expect to receive, and yet nothing is out of the question when it comes to relievers.

Recommendation

The Mets are one of those teams linked with Kahnle, and it is clear to see why given the Mets’ bullpen currently consists of Edwin Díaz and Drew Smith.

The Mets have already had to dish out the largest free agent contract ever for a reliever to retain Díaz, and most of the 2022 bullpen innings came from guys that are now free agents in Seth Lugo, Adam Ottavino, Trevor May, Tommy Hunter, and Trevor Williams. Left-hander Joely Rodriguez recently signed with the Red Sox as well. The Mets desperately need arms to get them to Díaz, and if Kahnle still has any gas left in the tank, this would prove to be a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell if Kahnle can recapture his former glory, and the price that a team will eventually have to pay just to be able to make that determination is far from guaranteed to be worth it. The Mets are likely better off re-signing Ottavino and focusing instead on targeting a left-handed reliever like Taylor Rogers or Andrew Chafin, a role that the team struggled to fill all season.

Kahnle has plenty of arm talent, and the intangibles are there to make him a prime candidate for a late-career resurgence similar to Ottavino. However, he needs to be able to stay on the field in order to realize that goal, and the Mets have plenty of issues more pressing to address than taking on a risk as big as Kahnle.

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets have interest in relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle, according to MMO‘s Mike Mayer.

Though Kahle has thrown under 14 innings over the last three seasons, “many teams” have shown interest in the righty.

After tossing one inning for the Yankees in 2020, Kahnle needed Tommy John surgery. He returned with the Dodgers in 2022, but forearm soreness forced him to miss most of the season after pitching just four innings. He returned for the last three weeks of the season, appearing in nine games and tossing 8.2 innings. He had a 0.84 ERA over that stretch.

When he’s pitched, Kahnle’s been incredibly effective over his career, though health has been what’s eluded him for his nine-year career. A reliever his whole career, he’s appeared in over 40 games in a season just three times since 2014.

The Mets are in desperate need of relief pitching after most of their relief corps became free agents. Though they were able to lock down the most important piece–Edwin Díaz–before free agency began, they still have work to do with rounding out the bullpen.

So far this offseason, reports have surfaced the Mets are interested in bringing back Adam Ottavino, too. For the most part, the Mets’ work this offseason has revolved around bringing back Brandon Nimmo and Jacob deGrom and having discussions with top starting pitchers, like Carlos Rodón, Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga.

The Mets met with Rodón on Tuesday.

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