Washington Nationals Lauded by Former MLB Executive for Bullpen Strategy
Early in the MLB offseason, the Washington Nationals made a decision that surprised a lot of people.
Despite needing some help with their bullpen, they decided to non-tender their closer, Kyle Finnegan. The decision made him an free agent instantly.
Coming off the best year of his career, in which he saved 38 games and was named an All-Star, it was certainly surprising to see the team opt to move on from him.
It certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying to get a deal done, as the two sides did negotiate prior to arbitration. The Nationals were looking to get a deal done before then, but nothing came to fruition.
Instead of going through with that process, where Finnegan was projected to earn $8.6 million, the team thought non-tendering him was the best way to go.
One of the more established relief pitchers now available on the market, he was expected to draw a good amount of interest from teams around the league.
But, as the winter moved along and spring training approached, the relief pitching market didn’t explode as many people thought that it would.
A few of the prominent players available, such as Tanner Scott, Jeff Horffman and Carlos Estevez, eventually agreed to multi-year deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals.
The lack of movement was bad news for veterans such as Finnegan, as finding a team to pay close to what the arbitration projections were proved to be an impossible task.
As a result, he ended up returning to Washington, agreeing to a one-year, $6 million deal.
In the opinion of Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required), it was the team’s best under-the-radar move of the offseason.
“Waiting out their closer from last year, Kyle Finnegan, in free agency and then bringing him back for only $6 million. Shrewd negotiating,” the former MLB executive wrote.
Not only did the Nationals bring back their closer, they did so at a price tag multiple millions lower than he was expected to earn in arbitration or once he hit the market.
What was viewed as a weakness at points during the winter now looks to be a strength for the team as Finnegan will be joined by veteran free agent additions Jorge Lopez and Lucas Sims at the back end of the bullpen.
Jose A. Ferrer looks like an emerging star during spring training and the ever-reliable Derek Law remains in the mix as well.
Manager Davey Martinez has a solid group emerging in the bullpen to piggyback off of what is a rapidly improving starting rotation.
