Tigers Major MLB Trade Deadline Acquisition Has Incredible Debut With Team

Heading into the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers had a few clear weaknesses that had to be upgraded.

Atop that list was their bullpen, which has been performing worse and worse as the regular season has worn on.

Armed with one of the best farm systems in baseball, the Tigers had the assets to swing a blockbuster trade should the opportunity present itself.

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With so many excellent relief pitchers on the move ahead of the deadline, it seemed like a matter of time until Detroit pulled the trigger on a deal, landing the kind of upgrade that would help put their bullpen over the top.

Ideally, it would be a reliever with electric stuff, someone who can generate whiffs at a high rate and rack up strikeouts.

As the deadline got closer and closer to expiring, it became clear that the Tigers were not going to pay the premium price that teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and New York Yankees paid to acquire top-flight relievers.

Instead, Detroit went with the quantity approach, acquiring Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves, Codi Heuer from the Texas Rangers and Paul Sewald from the Cleveland Guardians, who is currently on the injured list.

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However, their biggest acquisition was Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals.

Finnegan may not have the strikeout numbers the team was looking for, but he does possess the kind of late-game experience the Tigers needed at the back end of their bullpen.

He has recorded 11+ saves in five consecutive campaigns and on Saturday, he was called upon to get his first with his new team.

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With two outs in the eighth inning, following Will Vest giving up a two-run home run to Bryce Harper and a single to J.T. Realmuto, Finnegan was called upon to end the rally.

He did just that, getting Nick Castellanos to ground out to Zach McKinstry.

Finnegan would stay in the game for the ninth inning, and he shut the Philadelphia Phillies down, recording a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout of Otto Kemp.

That secured a 7-5 win after ace Tarik Skubal threw seven effective innings, allowing three runs with 10 strikeouts and zero walks allowed.

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It was the exact kind of debut that the veteran right-hander and Detroit were hoping he would provide.

He provides some much-needed stability and a reliable option for manager A.J. Hinch to turn to at the end of games.

This was the first of what the team hopes is many saves for Finnegan down the stretch.

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