WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals officially announced the re-signing of Kyle Finnegan this afternoon, but to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for their returning closer they made the surprising decision to designate outfielder Stone Garrett for assignment.
Finnegan agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract Tuesday, ending a three-month saga that began with the Nats non-tendering the All-Star reliever but ultimately bringing him back at a lower salary than he would have received via the arbitration process. He’ll report to CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches today and begin to get himself ready to pitch in spring training games and reassume the club’s ninth-inning role heading into the season.
The Nationals had several options when it came to clearing a 40-man spot for Finnegan. They could have placed right-hander Cade Cavalli (who is not expected to pitch in the big leagues for several months) on the 60-day injured list, or they could have designated another pitcher for assignment.
In the end, they chose to cut a position player, one who was attempting to make it back to the majors full-time 18 months after suffering a gruesome injury.
Garrett was developing into a productive hitter for the Nats in the summer of 2023 before he attempted to make a leaping catch at the wall in Yankee Stadium in late-August and crumbled to the ground in agony, breaking his left fibula and tearing his ankle ligaments.