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✓ Link copied to clipboard! One of the more important aspects of a baseball team is its bullpen. At the MLB trade deadline, just about every contending team across the league annually looks to swing trades for closers and top relief arms.The same can be said for free agency. Relief arms are highly sought during the offseason and this winter’s free agency class isn’t short of top-end arms. It just got even better, too.On Friday evening, the Washington Nationals made a move that shocked a lot of people around baseball.
WASHINGTON, DC -SEPTEMBER 28: Kyle Finnegan #67 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on September 28, 2024 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC -SEPTEMBER 28: Kyle Finnegan #67 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on September 28, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
According to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports, the Nationals decided not to tender a contract to their closer Kyle Finnegan, effectively sending him into free agency.Finnegan, 33, has recorded 88 saves across five big-league seasons with the Nationals. The right-hander holds a 3.56 ERA in 290 1/3 career innings. In 2024, he recorded 38 saves and was named to his first All-Star Game.Finnegan was expected to be pursued and traded during the 2024 season, though the Nationals held onto him. If they would have traded him, it’s likely they would have seen quite a decent return of prospects.Now that Finnegan is a free agent, plenty of teams will be interested in him. The Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees are three teams that would make a lot of sense for Finnegan. Each of these three teams is looking to win the World Series in 2025 but lost its closer to free agency.I expect to see Finnegan have quite a hot market in free agency this winter.More MLB: Red Sox, Tigers, Astros Listed As Potential Fits For $119 Million World Series Legend
