Aug 25, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (14) motions to the home plate umpire during a mound visit in the fourth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

This Tigers Trade Deadline Acquisition Has Been Far Better Than Expected

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 7:00 PM ET

As the Detroit Tigers get set to open up an important series against the Kansas City Royals, they will be looking to snap out of a bit of a funk.

On the road against the Athletics, the Tigers were shockingly swept by a team they are better than. Pitching can be hard where the Athletics are currently playing, and Detroit’s staff was beat up a bit. That franchise has had the Tigers' number for years, too, so this result was something the fanbase has become accustomed to seeing. With the team on a four-game losing streak now, they will want to get back to their winning ways against their division rivals so they can officially put this AL Central race to bed

At the trade deadline, Detroit took some heat for not making a big splash. Arguably, the most notable addition was Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan, who has had his struggles in the second halves of seasons in the past, so it was anyone's guess how he might look with his new club.

With a need to improve their bullpen, acquiring Finnegan figured to help with that. The veteran right-hander has saved a lot of games for the Nationals the past several years, but he wasn't seen as the same caliber of pitcher to pursue as Jhoan Duran, David Bednar or Ryan Helsley. However, the early returns on Finnegan have been good.

Finnegan Has Exceeded Expectations

Even though he might not have been the biggest name added, he has arguably been the best closer that was dealt at the deadline. In 10 games with the Tigers, the right-hander has totaled a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and has four saves with one hold.

Considering he had a 4.38 ERA with Washington this year, he has improved immensely since the trade. Going forward, it certainly seems like he is going to be the primary closer for Detroit despite manager A.J. Hinch not committing to any particular role for his backend guys.

Hinch is notorious for moving relief pitchers around depending on game situations. So if he believes that the most important spot is in the eighth inning, Finnegan could get the call in that moment to get Detroit out of a jam.

The Tigers have to be ecstatic with how well Finnegan has performed since coming over in the trade. Their bullpen was a unit that was struggling quite a bit before the deadline, but he has played a significant role in helping them turn things around.