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This morning according to reports the Dodgers have agreed to a 2-year, $5.25 million deal with free-agent right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle.
Free-agent reliever Tommy Kahnle in agreement with Dodgers on two-year contract, source tells The Athletic. Kahnle underwent Tommy John surgery in August.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2020
Kahnle's deal will pay him $750,000 in 2021, $3.45 million in 2022, plus a $550,000 signing bonus, per source. It also includes $750,000 in potential performance bonuses in 2022.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 23, 2020
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the agreement between the Dodgers and Kahnle while Mark Feinsand of MLB.com was the first with the financial terms of the deal.
Kahnle, 31, was outrighted off the Yankees’ 40-man roster at season’s end and elected free agency after spending the last three and a half seasons in New York.
This deal is considered a “rehab deal” for the Dodgers and for Kahnle since he is unlikely to pitch in 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in early August. Due to Kahnle likely sitting out the entire 2021 season his contract will be backloaded meaning he will earn the majority of his $5.25 million contract in 2022.
Kahnle is 9-9 with a 3.82 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, and an 11.2 SO9 in 277.2 innings over his seven-year career in the majors with the Rockies, White Sox, and Yankees.
For the Dodgers, they will be getting a potential impact arm that they can add to their late-inning mix in 2022 that could also potentially soften the blow of potential departures of fellow late-inning relievers Kenley Jansen and Joe Kelly.
All told this is an excellent low risk/high reward move for the Dodgers.