Aug 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) prepares to throw a pitch against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Could Mets bolster bullpen with this top trade target?

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Apr 23, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The New York Mets' bullpen has been a somewhat unexpected bright spot in the 2025 season. While most expected the Mets' relief corps to be solid, the collective 2.47 ERA they've produced (which is third-best in MLB) through April 22 has been awesome for fans to behold.

It remains to be seen whether the Mets can keep this bullpen success up. If they begin to falter as the season continues, they could look to the trade market to add more firepower for the postseason push.

And in an April 22 article, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller conveyed that Washington Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan will likely be on the trading block — and could be a fit for the Mets.

"With one exception, Washington's bullpen has been a disaster of the highest order... That one exception, though, is closer Kyle Finnegan, who the Nats originally non-tendered before bringing him back on a slightly discounted one-year deal," Miller wrote.

During his MLB career, Kyle Finnegan has exactly:

• 300 games played
• 300 innings pitched
• 300 strikeouts pic.twitter.com/6LacklwlAf
— WTF Stats (@WTFstats) April 21, 2025

"The 2024 All-Star has gone a perfect 8-for-8 on save chances for a club that has otherwise only won one game—a six-run blowout of the Dodgers, naturally. And with those eight successful conversions, Finnegan is now second only to Emmanuel Clase (95) with 74 saves since the beginning of 2023.

"Granted, Finnegan does also have 13 blown saves and a 3.60 ERA during that time, which explains why he was an unclaimed free agent for more than three months this winter," Miller continued.

"Still, go ahead and take it to the bank that there will be at least one contender desperately searching in late July for someone capable of locking things down in the ninth inning 85 percent of the time. (And that the Nationals won't be a contender in late July.)"

Kyle Finnegan, K'ing the Side (and a game-ending Expelliarmus Splitter). pic.twitter.com/6tct2BfzBY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 2, 2024

While Miller listed the Texas Rangers as the most likely landing spot for Finnegan, expect the Mets to quickly become a top potential destination if their bullpen begins to scuffle before the trade deadline.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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