Tommy Kahnle signs 2-year contract with Los Angeles Dodgers (Report)

Tommy Kahnle is heading to Los Angeles, signing a two-year contract with the Dodgers following his August Tommy John surgery.

New York Yankees fans were in despair Wednesday morning when Ken Rosenthal announced that Tommy Kahnle would be signing a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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

After undergoing Tommy John surgery this summer, the Yankees decided to non-tender Kahnle, making him a free agent. Still, Yankee fans were hopeful that a new contract would be worked out. After all, the Yankees worked out a similar two-year deal with Adam Warren while he was rehabbing from an injury.

But still, re-signing Kahnle was a bit of a long shot. The Yankees are shying away from spending big this offseason due to lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic. And right now, they need every penny available to re-sign DJ LeMahieu. Even if they re-sign the MVP finalist, they still have holes to fill in the starting rotation.

The Yankees bullpen is a strength for this team and that is still true after losing Kahnle. The fact of the matter is the money that could have gone to Kahnle is better spent elsewhere. It’s a tough pill for fans to swallow, but it’s the reality of the game. It’s especially tough when the player moving on from the organization is a fan favorite and locker room spark plug.

Kahnle will have an excellent opportunity to bounce back in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are one of the most analytically advanced organizations in baseball, and they’ll figure out how to use him most effectively in his return. When he hits free agency again after the 2022 season, he’ll likely have plenty of suitors for his services. Maybe the Yankees will be one of them, and fans will, at last, be reunited with Tommy Tightpants.