Pirates Should Target All-Star Closer
If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to snap their nine-year streak of missing the playoffs, improving the bullpen is one of the areas they'll have to address this offseason.
Exploring a trade for an established reliever could be on the ledger for the Pirates as they look to boost a bullpen that ranked 27th in ERA this season. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked the top 25 potential trade chips heading into the offseason, and had Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan at No. 16.
"An All-Star for the first time in 2024, Finnegan converted 38 of 43 save chances with a 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 in 65 appearances," Reuter wrote. "He doesn't miss bats at the rate of a top-tier closer, but his late-inning experience is still valuable as he has recorded 88 saves over the past four seasons for the Nationals."
The Pirates' struggles in the ninth inning played a large role in them finishing 76-86 for the second consecutive season. They ranked third in blown saves while tying for the second-most blown leads in the ninth inning in 2024. Reliever David Bednar, an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, took a significant step backward, going 3-8 with a 5.77 ERA across 62 appearances and 23-for-30 on his save opportunities before eventually getting removed from the closer role.
In Finnegan, Pittsburgh would be adding a reliable arm who's proven to be a more than capable closer over the last two seasons. In 2024, the Nationals' hard-throwing right-hander made the first All-Star team in his career and was 38-for-43 across his save opportunities. He went 3-8 with a 3.68 ERA in 65 appearances for a Washington team that went 71-91.
Finnegan, 33, is set to be a free agent after the 2025 season.
No team can have too many high-end arms in their bullpen. If Finnegan is available via trade, Pittsburgh would be remiss not to at least see what it would take to acquire him.
