Detroit Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle not picky about role with A.J. Hinch, Chris Fetter

Right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle, who throws his elite changeup nearly 75% of the time, has already talked to manager A.J. Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter about his role in the Detroit Tigers' bullpen for the 2025 season. The Tigers will use Kahnle for high-leverage situations, specifically in the later innings. "I told A.J. right out front — if you call down, I'm going to pick up the baseball, and I'm going to answer the call," Kahnle said Thursday, one day after signing with Tigers. "That's the way I've always been. I just enjoy getting out there and competing." Kahnle, 35, registered a 2.11 ERA with 19 walks and 46 strikeouts across 42⅔ innings in 50 relief appearances for the New York Yankees in the 2024 season, plus a 2.08 ERA over 8⅔ innings in the postseason. More than one-third of swings against him resulted in misses, while nearly two-thirds of balls in play resulted in grounders. "We are excited to add Tommy because he induces an impressive combination of swing-and-miss and ground balls," said Scott Harris, the Tigers' president of baseball operations. "He can get outs in multiple ways. He can handle righties and lefties. He gives our bullpen a different look. We were looking for someone who could get outs in leverage spots, and he has a history of doing that." Not everyone is like Kahnle. MORE MOVES?Tigers' Scott Harris: 'We're not done' making moves to improve 2025 team For example, free-agent right-handed reliever Kenley Jansen — MLB's active saves leader with 15 years of MLB experience — wants to be a closer because he is 53 saves from reaching the 500-save milestone. The Tigers have shown interest in Jansen (among other relievers with closer experience), but Jansen has a preference about his role for personal reasons. Kahnle comes to Detroit without any expectations. He just wants to compete. "My mentality has always been: I want the ball. I want to play. I want to compete," said Kahnle, who has eight saves in his 10-year MLB career but could emerge as a closer for the Tigers. "And that's what I hope I bring to Detroit." [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple,Spotify) ] In 2024, Kahnle threw 61 changeups in a row while the Yankees were in the postseason. In nine postseason games, Kahnle used 129 changeups, 13 fastballs and one slider. That's more than 90% changeups. Opponents hit .188 with a .583 OPS against Kahnle in the postseason. "Even if you know a changeup is coming," Harris said, "it's sort of difficult to know where to deliver the barrel because he does move it around the zone. We like the fact that he has a weapon that he can use even when a hitter knows it's coming and it still can be effective." THE DEAL:Tigers sign reliever Tommy Kahnle to one-year contract in free agency The playoff streak of 61 changeups in a row started Oct. 15 against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the ALCS and ended Oct. 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series. Kahnle went three full outings, plus parts of two others, without throwing a non-changeup. "I wasn't really sure what the number was," Kahnle said, "but in the back of my head, I'm like, 'I have not thrown a fastball in a long time.' It just kept coming, and at the time, it was working." With Kahnle, the Tigers have five relievers locked in for the 2025 Opening Day roster. The other four: right-hander Jason Foley, left-hander Tyler Holton, righty Will Vest and righty Beau Brieske. The final three spots are up for grabs. Of those relievers, Kahnle generates the most swings and misses. Kahnle fits the mold of a closer, especially when considering the swing-and-miss rate, ground-ball rate and key ability to get outs against both handed hitters. But Foley has the most experience in save situations. "As far as how he fits at the end of games, he can pitch anywhere," Harris said. "I think we demonstrated as a team last year that we can get to the finish line in a number of different ways, and I think that does give us an edge. How it all shakes out, I'm not quite sure. We're not done building our team yet." SKUBAL SPEAKS:Tigers ace Tarik Skubal: Alex Bregman 'would look really good' in Old English D In 2024, the Tigers went on a 31-11 run to clinch a spot in the postseason. The miraculous stretch of success in the regular season began Aug. 11 and ended Sept. 27. In those 42 games, five different relievers picked up saves, including Foley, Holton, Vest and Brieske. Kahnle is ready to join the mix in 2025. "I did have a few outings here and there where I'd come in the fourth or fifth innings, sometime earlier than I was used to," Kahnle said, referencing his three appearances across the fourth and fifth innings last season. "I feel like, over the last few years, bullpens have been asked to do a lot more. That's just the way the game is trending. I feel like this bullpen is definitely equipped to handle that." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.