The New York Yankees may have to face one of their former teammates in enemy territory this season if one Red Sox Insider is right. Emotional reliever Tommy Kahnle or former Yankees reliever David Robertson are predicted to end up with the Boston Red Sox, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.
"I'm going to make a prediction here, and it's not going to be one Red Sox fans are going to love. I'm going to predict no on Arenado and no on Bregman, and that it ends up being Grichuk and either Robertson or Kahnle," Cotillo said on a recent episode of the Fenway Rundown.
Kahnle was reported to have had interest from eight teams, but he is still available on the free-agent market.
Kahnle, who was originally drafted by the Yankees, had returned to the Yankees after a two-year stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.
Last season, he played a key role in the Yankees bullpen. He had a career-best 2.11 ERA over 50 appearances in 42 ⅔ innings pitched. He played a key role in helping the Yankees get to the World Series. His season, however, will likely be remembered for his flop in the eighth inning of the clinching Game 5. Kahnle entered in the top of the eighth trying to protect a one-run lead and instead allowed all three batters he faced to reach base. He was charged with two earned runs in the Yankees' season-ending loss.
It's been longer since Robertson wore Yankees' pinstripes, six years to be exact, but he is still remembered favorably by the Yankees' faithful in the Bronx. Though he will be 40 years old in April, Robertson still remains one of the top-level relievers in the game. In 68 appearances (his most since 2018 he was a Yankee), the right-hander posted a 3.00 ERA in 72 innings of work. He's still striking out over 12 batters per nine innings.
