Former Nationals Closer Named Top MLB Trade Deadline Acquisition for Tigers

With a month of space separating us from the trade deadline, pundits are looking back at the results and evaluating the winners and losers of the crucial player movement period with the benefit of some hindsight. MLB.com analyst Brian Murphy has Finnegan pegged as the No. 6 player on his list.

"After registering a 4.38 ERA across 39 innings with the Nationals, Finnegan has thrown 13 1/3 scoreless innings with Detroit," Murphy wrote. "That has included three hits, three walks, 18 strikeouts and four saves in as many chances. He's a leading reason why the Tigers' bullpen has the game's second-best ERA this month (2.92)."

Murphy noted also that the Tigers seem to have instructed Finnegan to up his splitter usage from about a quarter of the time in Washington to over half of his offerings in Detroit. The result has been a huge spike in his strikeout rate, which has gone from 7.4 to 12.2 on a per-nine inning basis.

Finnegan is destined to play a major role in determining just how successful the season is for the Tigers, meaning Nats fans could have a chance to watch one of their former stars thrive on a World Series run.

In return, Washington got a pair of pitching prospects in Josh Randall and R.J. Sales. Both of those players have struggled with their new organization. Randall owns a 6.27 ERA in four starts with High-A Wilmington, though he fared better with Single-A Fredericksburg. Sales was thriving with Detroit's Single-A affiliate, but that success has not translated to Fredericksburg, where he has a 4.91 ERA in his first four starts.