Could Washington Nationals Bring Back Closer They Non-Tendered Earlier in Offseason?
There are two glaring holes on this Washington Nationals roster; third base and closer.
It seems like they are willing to enter the spring with a position battle on their hands at the hot corner, allowing the multiple players in the mix to determine with their play who is going to be the Opening Day starter while the others could also factor in throughout the season.
Jose Tena, Amed Rosario, Trey Lipscomb and their star prospect Brady House are all candidates.
But, closer is where things are much more questionable.
The Nationals decided to non-tender Kyle Finnegan earlier this winter, deciding the roughly $9 million he was projected to receive wasn't worth it.
It was a surprising bit of news that came out, especially because the right-hander has been more than solid during his five years with the team, posting a 3.56 ERA across his 291 appearances with an ERA+ that's 16 percentage points above the league average of 100.
However, the 88 saves in 110 opportunities was something that became a point of contention, especially when the second half of his first All-Star campaign this past season saw his ERA balloon to a 5.79 instead of the 2.45 mark he had before the Midsummer Classic.
Washington still needs a closer, though.
Jorge Lopez could fill that role if they don't pursue another shutdown man this winter, but that doesn't give anyone confidence about their ability to close out tight games.
Could the Nationals work with Finnegan and bring him back?
That's something Mark Zuckerman of MASN believes could be an option.
"They could, in theory, attempt to bring Finnegan (who remains a free agent) back at a lower salary, if the two sides are willing to work together again," he wrote.
Normally, when a team non-tenders one of their players, that is the end of the road between the two parties, but since the 33-year-old is still on the market and doesn't seem to have a long list of suitors at this point in time, returning to Washington might be something he considers.
Spotrac has his market value at $12.5 million, a figure he likely won't come close to getting.
Carlos Estevez, for example, just signed a deal with the Kansas City Royals that's worth $11 million AAV, and he's been a much better reliever the past two seasons than Finnegan. Ryan Pressly was just moved to the Chicago Cubs by the Houston Astros in a salary dump that has each team paying a chunk of his $14 million salary. Tommy Kahnle got $7.75 million from the Detroit Tigers and Ryne Stanek only received $4.5 million to come back to the New York Mets.
Would a $6 million contract be something Washington would give him?
Probably.
But, that would also require Finnegan to accept that type of deal after he received just over $5 million this past season.
Perhaps the two sides agree on a one-and-one, bringing Finnegan back on a club-friendly deal that would make him an attractive trade piece for a contender at the deadline while also attaching an option that could give him a roughly $10 million payday in 2026 if he performs well.
This is all speculation.
But since he's still on the market with pitchers and catchers set to report in the next few weeks, it might be wise for both parties to work something out that has him coming back to the nation's capital.
