Chicago Cubs Have Reportedly Expressed Interest in Closer Kyle Finnegan

The Chicago Cubs have reportedly expressed interest in a talented closer.

Sep 13, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) delivers a throw during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have entered the Winter Meetings as one of the busier teams so far this offseason in terms of trying to make some upgrades. 

After a good but not great year in 2024, the Cubs are certainly a team to watch this winter with their margin of missing the playoffs last season being slim.

Chicago was able to finish over .500 once again, but they left a lot of wins out there due to a poor bullpen. 

So far, they have been active in both the trade market and free agency markets, making moves that upgraded their bullpen with the acquisition of Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians and others.

That is certainly a nice start, but there is still work to do in the back end of the bullpen. 

Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com recently spoke about some of the moves the Cubs have already made this offseason, and that they are interested in former Washington Nationals closer, Kyle Finnegan. 

“After an awful year trying to finish off games, the Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in free agent closer Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan was a surprise non-tender after making the All-Star team with the Washington Nationals in 2024. He saved a career-high 38 games with a 3.68 ERA before entering the free agent market. The Cubs have already bolstered their pitching and catching depth, acquiring catchers Matt Thaiss and Carson Kelly while adding pitchers Eli Morgan and Matthew Boyd.”

Finnegan was a late surprise to enter free agency when the Nationals non-tendered him. 

In 2024, the right-hander was able to make his first All-Star team, and he also set a career-high in saves. While the overall season was very strong by Finnegan, it was a tale of two halves. He was certainly deserving of the All-Star nod in the first half, but the veteran struggled a lot in the second half and on. 

The bad second half of the year is likely why Washington didn’t want to commit to him for as expensive as he would have been. 

However, while he might not be an ideal member of the bullpen for the Nationals at this point in time, he did record 38 saves in 2024 which is something that would be a big help for Chicago. 

In terms of closers, there are few available that have had those type of save numbers in a season.