Tommy Kahnle
Perhaps one of the most underrated relievers in recent years, Tommy Kahnle has quietly become one of the most reliable arms coming out of a major league bullpen. Having maintained an ERA consistently under 3.00 for six of his past eight seasons in the league, Kahnle seems to have gotten even better with age. This season, he has put up some of the best numbers of his MLB career with the Yankees.
In 50 appearances during the regular season, he posted a sparkling 2.11 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, while giving up 10 earned runs all year with 19 walks and 46 strikeouts over 42 2/3 innings of work. More impressively, the Yankees have used him in all situations, having come into games as early as the fourth inning and as late as finishing off ballgames. Kahnle managed to register 16 holds along with one save, while not blowing a single save all year in the process.
Not only that, Kahnle has been a monster for the Yankees this postseason, holding the opposition scoreless over seven innings in six relief appearances leading up to the World Series. In fact, in his 24 career MLB playoff games ahead of World Series Game 1 on Friday, he holds a perfect 2-0 record with a stellar 2.54 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, yielding just eight earned runs on 15 hits with 12 walks and 28 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched.
As a proven, reliable reliever both in the regular season and the playoffs, Kahnle would be a perfect addition to the Phillies’ relief corps for 2025. At age 35, he should still have a few good years left in him, as he will also bring valuable veteran leadership and experience to the club as well. He would also make the potential loss of Carlos Estévez and/or Jeff Hoffman to free agency that much more bearable.
Blake Treinen
Blake Treinen rose to prominence during his 2018 season when he became one of the best closers in the league for the Oakland Athletics. Posting a 9-2 record with a minuscule 0.78 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, Treinen registered a career-high 38 saves in what turned out to be his breakout year in the big leagues.
However, he followed that up with a disappointing 2019 season in which things fell completely apart for him. He posted a dismal 4.91 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, giving up 32 earned runs, including nine home runs, in 58 2/3 innings pitched over 57 appearances.
As a result of the underperformance, Treinen was non-tendered by the Athletics following the 2019 season, joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. Despite being hampered by multiple injuries that kept him out of action for almost two seasons between 2022 and 2023, along with the start of 2024, Treinen came back with a vengeance this year, posting a 7-3 record with a 1.93 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, yielding just 10 earned runs all year with 11 walks and 56 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings over 50 appearances.
More importantly, he has been one of the Dodgers’ most trusted arms this postseason. In fact, they have believed in him so much that he has practically been the team’s de facto closer in the most important games.
In six playoff games before Game 1, Treinen has given up just one run on seven hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts in eight innings. Proving to be a big-game pitcher, he has converted all three save opportunities that have been presented to him, including finishing off the clinching games in the NLDS and NLCS.
That was exactly what the Phillies were missing during their postseason run this year: a reliever coming up huge in the biggest moments of the game. What better way to rectify their problem than to get one of the best at it in free agency?