Division Rival Listed as Potential Trade Partner for Washington Nationals Closer

Could the Washington Nationals trade their closer to a division rival?

Sep 11, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

As the Washington Nationals head into the offseason, there will be a lot of big decisions for the franchise to make in the coming months. 

After a 71-win season in 2024, the Nationals will be hoping to take a significant step forward in 2025, as their young core of talent continues to develop. There are a lot of reasons to believe that Washington can be a much better team in 2025, but when they are ready to compete will likely depend on how aggressive they want to be this offseason. 

There are a few needs for the Nationals in order to take a step forward, as they could use a front-end starting pitcher and some power in the middle of the lineup. Neither of those things will be cheap, and it is unlikely that Washington would look to pull off a trade in order to accomplish it. 

More than likely, the Nationals aren’t going to be ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2025, as it just simply might be too soon for some of their young talent to really produce at the level needed. 

With that being the case, they do have one veteran who would be a very appealing trade option for a lot of teams this offseason. Recently, closer Kyle Finnegan was named as a potential trade target for the Philadelphia Phillies by Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report. 

While moving a player within the division isn’t ideal, the Phillies certainly have a need for bullpen help this offseason. In the playoffs, the bullpen for Philadelphia was terrible, and they will certainly be looking to improve in that area. 

Finnegan would certainly be a player that the Phillies would be interested in if he became available. Last season, the closer totaled a 3.68 ERA and 38 saves in his first appearance as an All-Star. 

With both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez being free agents, the bullpen for Philadelphia will certainly look a lot different in 2025. 

For the Nationals, if they aren’t going to compete next year, moving their closer does make a lot of sense. At 33 years old, Finnegan might not fit in the timeline of the rebuild for the Nationals, as they would likely get some talented prospects in return for the All-Star. 

The availability of Finnegan will likely come down to whether or not Washington believes that they can compete for a playoff spot next season.