Phillies Still Connected to Star Reliever Despite Trading for Closer

Even after making a trade for a closer, the Philadelphia Phillies are still connected to a star reliever who could be on the move.

Jun 2, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

It was expected that the Philadelphia Phillies would be aggressive at the trade deadline, and so far they haven't disappointed.

That started when they landed 2023 All-Star outfielder Austin Hays in a surprising deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Even though he wasn't the headliner addition many fans were hoping for, he's a solid addition who should provide some real value to the lineup.

What did catch the attention of the baseball world was their move to acquire closer Carlos Estevez from the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday that saw them send out two of their rising prospects to get this done.

It was known that landing one of the top bullpen arms in this market wouldn't be cheap, and the Phillies certainly had to pay a pretty penny to land the high-leverage reliever.

Still, shipping out prospects to get someone who can help them win a World Series right now is something Philadelphia had to do based on the season they have put together so far.

But, are the Phillies are done adding?

Hays and Estevez certainly address the two needs they were searching for coming into this time period, but the fact they had to ship out Seranthony Dominguez to get the outfield help presents them an opportunity to go after another bullpen piece.

Because of that, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com views Kyle Finnegan as a fit for Philadelphia.

The Washington Nationals star closer is on his list of players who are "most likely trade candidates," something he put out even after it was announced the Phillies had acquired Estevez.

For contending teams, they can never have too many reliable bullpen arms, and Dave Dombrowski could certainly be feeling that way after he's seen his team come so close to winning a World Series the past two years before coming up short.

On paper, Finnegan would make sense.

He'd give Rob Thomson another elite backend arm to call upon, allowing him to utilize All-Star Jeff Hoffman in high-leverage situations and move Jose Alvarado back into the Swiss Army Knife role he previously had when he was most effective.

A bullpen of Estevez, Finnegan, Alvarado, Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, and Gregory Soto might be the best in the entire sport.

But all deals are easier to get done on paper than in reality.

Dombrowski has to factor in what the asking price of the Nationals might be for Finnegan considering he has another year of club control remaining, especially since this would be a trade within the division.

They also have to figure out what they'd do with Spencer Turnbull and Taijuan Walker when they come off the injured list.

The long-time executive has shown he's willing to be aggressive with his decisions and figure things out later, so there is a chance he could pull something off to get the star reliever onto this roster.