Nationals Veteran Reliever Ideal Target for Team Looking for Setup Man Upgrade

Things have not been going well recently for the Washington Nationals, who watched whatever small hope of making a run to the postseason evaporate with an untimely 11-game losing streak.

The streak has since been snapped, but entering play on June 27 with a 33-48 record and less than 0.1% chance of making the playoffs, according to Baseball Reference, it is only a matter of time until they start selling pieces.

One of the players who is going to garner a lot of interest on the trade market is veteran relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan.

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Every contending team that is on the lookout for bullpen help is going to be in contact with the Nationals.

“He’s not sexy, but Kyle Finnegan can handle the seventh or eighth innings for a playoff contender,” wrote Greg Jewett of The Athletic (subscription required) in a recent piece detailing bullpen reports from around the MLB.

The veteran right-hander would be the ideal target for any franchise looking for some help late in games during high-leverage situations.

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It hasn’t always been pretty, but Finnegan has been a reliable stopper, recording at least 11 saves in five consecutive campaigns.

As Jewett noted, even teams with an established closer could still show interest in Finnegan, acquiring him as insurance for the end of game option they have and to bolster their late-game mix.

He is in the midst of potentially the best season of his career.

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His ERA+ of 139 is the highest since his rookie year, when he had a 154 across 25 appearances and 24.2 innings pitched.

Though 29 appearances and 28 innings in 2025, Finnegan has a 2.89 ERA, which would be the lowest in his career, to go along with 23 strikeouts.

He has done a wonderful job limiting hard contact, allowing an average exit velocity of 89.6 mph and hard-hit rate of 39.8%, per Baseball Reference.

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Finnegan isn’t going to generate a ton of strikeout numbers, but he does an excellent job of limiting walks with a career-low 7.0% walk rate.

The Colorado Rockies got him for two home runs in an outing on June 16. Those were the first long balls of the year he allowed and first he surrendered since August 2024.

Limiting the home runs and cutting back on the walks is leading to a productive season for Finnegan, who should net Washington at least one or two prospects in a trade.

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