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The Nationals are trading Kyle Finnegan to the Tigers for two starting pitching prospects drafted last year, dealing their veteran closer to a contender after passing on comparable opportunities to do so the last two seasons.
The trade sends the 33-year-old reliever to Detroit for right-handers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales, a club source confirmed. The Athletic was first to report news of the trade, with The Washington Post first to report the return.
A much-discussed name the previous two trade deadlines, Finnegan was retained each time by former general manager Mike Rizzo, who didn’t feel the offers made by other clubs were commensurate with his view of the durable, dependable reliever’s true value.
This time around, with Finnegan set to become a free agent at season’s end, there was less reason for interim GM Mike DeBartolo to hold onto his closer for the next two months.
The right-hander’s departure, though, leaves a black hole in an already thin and shaky Nationals bullpen that sent veterans Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia to the Angels on Wednesday in one of four trades already completed by DeBartolo in advance of today’s 6 p.m. Eastern deadline. Interim manager Miguel Cairo’s closer options now include left-hander Jose A. Ferrer and rookie right-handers Cole Henry and Zach Brzykcy.
