White Sox acquire Kahnle in deal with Rockies
CHICAGO -- The White Sox on Tuesday acquired right-hander Tommy Kahnle from the Rockies in exchange for Minor League right-hander Yency Almonte.
Kahnle, 26, has a live arm and can touch 98 to 99 mph with his fastball. He has recorded 102 strikeouts over 102 Major League innings for his career and averaged 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season while holding right-handed hitters to a .203 average (15-for-74) and briefly serving as the Rockies' closer. Kahnle also has 59 career walks, so he needs to harness his control.
In 36 games last season with the Rockies, Kahnle went 0-1 with a 4.86 ERA, two saves and three holds. He averaged 95.9 mph with his fastball, per Fangraphs, and had a stretch of three appearances from Aug 13-18 that bumped up his ERA. During that time, Kahnle allowed nine of the 18 earned runs he gave up all season in just two innings total.
Kahnle was just designated for assignment on Friday.
Kahnle's addition adds another potential plus arm to the back of the White Sox bullpen, joining closer David Robertson, Nate Jones, Zach Putnam, Jake Petricka, Frankie Montas and Zach Duke. Kahnle was taken by the Rockies from the Yankees in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft after originally being selected by the Yankees in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft.
Almonte, 21, made a combined 24 appearances (23 starts) between Class A Kannapolis and Class A Advanced Winston-Salem last season, going 11-7 with a 3.41 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 137 1/3 innings. He was acquired from the Angels on Feb. 4, 2015 as the player to be named for infielder Gordon Beckham (original trade on Aug. 21, 2014). Almonte was not listed among the Top 30 White Sox prospects per MLB.com.
Following the move, the White Sox 40-man roster increases to 37.