Yankees Linked as Potential Trade Partner for Washington Nationals Closer
As the Washington Nationals get prepared for the offseason, a lot of important decisions will have to be made for the organization.
In 2024, the Nationals won 71 games for the second straight season, and while that might be considered to be a failure, Washington was using a lot of their top young prospects in the Majors this campaign.
The future certainly appears to be bright for the Nationals, as they have a lot of young talent, especially in their lineup.
This winter, with a couple of big contracts coming off the books, Washington finally might look to spend on some free agents. However, it is hard to figure out whether this will be the offseason when they really look to get aggressive and make a big splash to help catapult their young core into playoff contention.
Even though young players like James Wood and Dylan Crews made their debuts last year, neither have a full season under their belt and being aggressive this offseason might be a bit premature.
If the Nationals continue their patience in their rebuild, one player they might consider flipping for more young talent is their closer Kyle Finnegan.
The availability of Finnegan this winter and next season should be solely reliant on whether Washington believes that they can contend for a playoff spot. If they don’t believe they can, moving him makes a ton of sense.
Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report spoke about the New York Yankees as a potential trade suitor for the 33-year-old.
The Yankees being a potential trade partner with the Nationals makes a lot of sense, as they will have Clay Holmes hitting free agency this winter. While Holmes was the closer for much of the season for New York, it was Luke Weaver who took over in that role in the postseason.
Even though Holmes was replaced by Weaver as the closer, he will likely be hitting free agency and expecting to sign to be the 9th inning man for another team this offseason.
That being said, with Weaver taking the reins as the closer for the Yankees, Finnegan could be an excellent option to replace Holmes in a set-up role in 2025. New York loves having a lot of arms in the bullpen come October, as they were shopping for relief help at the trade deadline this year.
Depending on the plan for Washington, moving their closer could make sense this offseason if they decide 2025 isn't quite the time to compete in the National League.
