Tampa Bay Rays Lose Pitching Strategist Bobby Kinne to Cleveland Guardians

Coming off his seventh season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Bobby Kinne has decided to accept the Cleveland Guardians' director of baseball operations job.

Apr 3, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. / Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are hiring Tampa Bay Rays major league pitching strategist Bobby Kinne as their director of baseball operations, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday night.

Kinne had been with the Rays since June 2018, when he graduated from Vassar College and took a baseball operations internship in Tampa Bay. He moved into the club's advance scouting department for the 2019 season, until he became the coordinator of major league operations entering 2022.

After two years in that role, Kinne finally took an on-field position in 2024. He worked under manager Kevin Cash, as well as pitching coach Kyle Snyder and assistant pitching coach Rick Knapp.

Bobby Kinne leaving Rays to become Guardians director of baseball operations, sources tell @TheAthletic. Had been Rays’ major league pitching strategist.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 19, 2024

The Rays ranked No. 7 in the American League with a 3.77 ERA in 2024, despite ace Shane McClanahan missing the entire year due to Tommy John surgery. Tyler Glasnow was also traded before the season, while Aaron Civale and Zach Eflin got dealt away in July.

Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen combined for 28 starts as they worked their way back from respective elbow surgeries, making it even more difficult to manage the rotation and bullpen in Tampa Bay.

And yet, Kinne helped the team finish ninth in ERA, eighth in batting average against and fourth in WHIP across all of MLB this season.

The Guardians don't need Kinne to swoop in and fix their pitching staff, considering they finished third in baseball with a 3.61 ERA. Cleveland made it all the way to the ALCS in October, while first-year skipper Stephen Vogt just won AL Manager of the Year.

Instead, Kinne will be taking on a front office position with the Guardians. Tampa Bay has been a breeding ground for baseball operations departments across the league for years, so Kinne will be the latest in a long line of former Rays to take on bigger roles elsewhere.

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