Washington Nationals Non-Tender Reliever Kyle Finnegan Coming Off All-Star Season

Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey have been staples in the Washington Nationals' bullpen for the past few seasons, but they are now slated to enter free agency.

Aug 25, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have non-tendered relief pitchers Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey, the team announced Friday night.

The moves came in just before MLB's non-tender deadline at 8 p.m. ET. Instead of going to arbitration with the pair of right-handers, the Nationals are removing them from their 40-man roster and letting them hit free agency.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Finnegan to earn $8.6 million in 2025, while Rainey was in line for an estimated $1.9 million payday. Spotrac had them pegged at $7.85 million and $1.5 million, respectively.

The Nationals have tendered contracts to all unsigned 40-man roster players with the exception of Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey. 

Finnegan and Rainey are now free agents. 

The 40-man roster is now at 36.

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) November 23, 2024

Finnegan, 33, made his first career All-Star appearance in 2024. Through June 3, he had a 1.98 ERA and 0.936 WHIP.

The righty struggled down the stretch, though, posting a 5.93 ERA and 1.866 WHIP from then on out. Still, he finished the season with a 3.68 ERA, 1.335 WHIP and 1.0 WAR, converting 38 of his 43 save opportunities.

Finnegan has made at least 65 appearances in each of the last four seasons. Since Finnegan made his MLB debut in 2020, only one National League pitcher has taken the mound more often than him – San Francisco Giants submariner Tyler Rogers.

As for Rainey, he joined the Nationals back in 2019 coming off his debut season with the Cincinnati Reds. He earned a World Series ring, even though he put up a 6.75 ERA during the Nationals' postseason run.

Rainey boasted a 3.54 ERA between 2019 and 2020, but saw that explode to 7.39 in 2021. After getting his stuff back under control and posting a 3.30 ERA in 2022, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed most of 2023.

The 31-year-old returned to full strength in 2024, only to put up a 4.76 ERA and 0.1 WAR across his 50 appearances. For his career, Rainey is 5-10 with a 5.23 ERA, 1.483 WHIP, 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.1 WAR.

Finnegan's market is likely to be deeper than Rainey's, but both relievers should find themselves on big league rosters come 2025. The Nationals, meanwhile, are left with Derek Law, Robert Garcia, Jose A. Ferrer and Eduardo Salazar as their most reliable remaining options out of the bullpen.

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