Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox in 2026, though the emergence of Tommy Kahnle as a dependable reliever has certainly been a pleasant surprise. Since forcing his way onto the roster by way of an upward mobility clause, the 36-year-old has tackled six appearances (seven innings) and pitched to a 3.86 ERA (as of June 24).
To be clear, Kahnle isn't here on a technicality. He dominated Triple-A over the past few months, recording a scant 1.40 ERA (3.23 FIP) while locking down five saves for the WooSox. Clearly, he's still capable of being an effective MLB arm.
Unfortunately, aging rental relievers don't normally suit the whims of a last-place team. The Red Sox may soon find that Kahnle has more utility to them as a trade chip, though that still qualifies as win considering the team picked him up very late in the offseason on a minor-league deal.
Of course, most of what the Red Sox plan to do at the trade deadline in regard to their bullpen centers around Aroldis Chapman. An All-Star lock in his age-38 season, the ageless wonder will immediately become the most sought-after reliever in baseball if Craig Breslow opts to make him available.
Red Sox's Tommy Kahnle should join Aroldis Chapman on the trade block
Assuming Chapman is dealt, Kahnle could emerge as his replacement in the ninth inning, though that job seems destined to fall upon Garrett Whitlock. Instead, he should join the fireballing southpaw on the trade block as a cheap (his prorated salary is less than $1 million) and experienced alternative.
Of course, the right-hander won't command anywhere near the same trade package that his left-handed teammate will. He's walked and struck out an equal amount of hitters since coming up to the majors earlier this month, not to mention the fact that he's allowed three runs over his past two appearances. There's only so much demand for a changeup-focused reliever who doesn't induce a lot of swings and misses or ground balls.
Still, Kahnle has 17 career saves to his name, plus a long track record of being an effective postseason pitcher. He also tallied four consecutive scoreless appearances prior to his most recent outings. That experience and talent has some type of value, especially when it comes attached to what amounts to barely more than a league-minimum salary.
For the price of a low-level prospect with some upside, there should be plenty of contenders lining up to improve their bullpen depth by adding Kahnle. In a lost season, those are the kinds of small wins the Red Sox need to be happy with.
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