Why Former Washington Nationals Closer Kyle Finnegan Makes Sense for Cubs
The Washington Nationals have entered the Winter Meetings with a lot of holes to fill on the roster as of now.
Coming into the offseason, the Nationals were an interesting team to watch. With a talented young group of players and money to spend, Washington feels like their rebuild is getting closer to coming to an end.
However, in order to help expedite that, they need to make some splashes in the free agency market. So far, the Nationals have been somewhat quiet. With needs at first base, third base, starting pitching, and the bullpen, Washington has the money to address those needs, but needs to take action.
The bullpen wasn’t expected to be a big need for the Nationals coming into the offseason, but they made the somewhat surprising decision to non-tender their All-Star closer, Kyle Finnegan.
The right-hander was coming off the best year of his career in 2024, but when looking deeper into his season, Washington does have their reasons for the move. Overall, the 33-year-old totaled a (3-8) record, 3.68 ERA, and 38 saves.
However, when looking at the splits between the first and second half of the season, there was a big difference. In the first half of the season, the right-hander totaled a 2.45 ERA and 25 saves. Opposing batters hit just .191 against him, as he was excellent on the mound.
In the second half of the season, he didn’t pitch nearly as well, as he totaled 13 saves, a 5.79 ERA, and opposing batters hit .337 against him.
Despite the poor second half of the season, he is one of the best closers on the market coming off an All-Star season with 38 saves. Recently, the Chicago Cubs reportedly expressed interest in him, and they make a good match on paper.
The Cubs had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last season, and closing out games was a struggle. While Porter Hodge is an up-and-coming young talent, Chicago should have another veteran option to close out games if he isn’t ready to do so yet.
Adding Finnegan wouldn’t cost the Cubs an exorbitant amount of money or years at his age. But for a team that is looking to win now, he makes a lot of sense.
Chicago has already started to address some of their bullpen needs with the acquisition of Eli Morgan, but this is a team that needs more at the backend of the bullpen. As an All-Star closer in 2024, Finnegan makes a lot of sense.
