Former Washington Nationals Closer Named Best New Free Agent This Offseason
The Washington Nationals recently made a shocking decision to kick off their offseason that will impact free agency.
Coming into the offseason, the Nationals were one of the teams that seemed like they could make some noise in free agency. Despite winning just 71 games last year, Washington looks like they are heading in the right direction as a franchise.
With starting pitcher Patrick Corbin’s contract finally coming off the books, the Nationals certainly have some money to spend this offseason. In a surprising turn of events, Washington will have more money to spend now, as the franchise decided to non-tender a contract for their closer Kyle Finnegan, making him a free agent.
This was one of the more shocking moves of the tender deadline, as Finnegan was an All-Star last year and saved 38 games. Now, he will be hitting free agency, and should have a number of potential suitors.
After the move, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently ranked the right-hander as the best new free agent on the market.
“With 38 saves and an All-Star selection to his credit in 2024, Finnegan was far from an obvious non-tender candidate. However, he had a 5.79 ERA and served up a .337 opponents' batting average in 24 appearances after the All-Star break, and that downturn in effectiveness made his steep price tag difficult to swallow.”
It is very rare that an All-Star from the year prior doesn’t get a contract tender, but after a poor second half of the season, the Nationals made the tough decision to let him go for nothing.
Considering Washington was fielding trade offers for him last year, this is a tough pill to swallow and the handling of the situation looks like a mistake by the franchise.
Now, the Nationals are without a closer heading into 2025, as this will likely be a top priority for the franchise now.
For Finnegan, even though he was the closer for Washington, he would likely either become a set up man on a contending team, or stay as a closer for a lesser team that might look to flip him at the deadline, assuming he pitches well.
The poor second half of the season must have really scared off the Nationals from keeping him for 2025, as they now have a glaring problem in their bullpen. With a lack of in-house options, expect Washington to be working both the trade market and free agency to find a replacement.
