Time is running out for the Detroit Tigers to make a splash at this year’s trade deadline. As top targets such as Ke’Bryan Hayes and Eugenio Suárez have come off the board, so have the chances of the Tigers adding an impact player that can help them make a deep run into October.
But just as Tigers fans were starting to panic, Detroit was able to make a deal. In the hours leading up to the 6 p.m. deadline, president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg were able to bring an All-Star closer to the Tigers, which could provide a big boost down the stretch.
Tigers Steal Kyle Finnegan from Nationals as MLB Trade Deadline Approaches
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Tigers have acquired reliever Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals. According to MLB Network Radio’s Grant Paulsen, Detroit is giving up No. 15 prospect Josh Randall and fellow minor league pitcher RJ Sales in the deal, which could turn out to be a bargain considering how relievers have dominated the trade market.
Finnegan’s 2025 numbers aren’t going to inspire confidence from Tigers fans. In 40 appearances, he’s posted a 1-4 record with a 4.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He also doesn’t miss bats with a 27.1% chase rate, 21.7% whiff rate and a 19.6% strikeout rate according to Baseball Savant, but he brings experience closing games with 86 saves over the past three seasons.
The 33-year-old has also been able to keep the ball on the ground with a ground ball rate that has hovered around the 75th percentile in each of the past three seasons and is under team control through next season, making him more than just a short-term rental.
While Tigers fans would like someone with a little more swing-and-miss to his game, Finnegan’s status as an effective reliever that earned an All-Star appearance in 2024 comes at a stomachable price point.
The Philadelphia Phillies gave the Minnesota Twins a pair of top-100 prospects (Mick Abel, Eduardo Tait) in exchange for Duran on Wednesday evening. The New York Mets also sent two of their top prospects (Blade Tidwell, Drew Gilbert) along with major league reliever Jose Butto to acquire Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants and sent three more prospects to the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire Ryan Helsley.
The Athletics acquired MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect Leo De Vries for fellow All-Star closer Mason Miller on Thursday morning and there could be more with Griffin Jax of the Minnesota Twins, Pete Fairbanks of the Tampa Bay Rays and Carlos Estéves of the Kansas City Royals candidates to be moved before the deadline.
While Finnegan doesn’t have the flashiness of some of the arms that have been moved, he’s still a former All-Star that can get the job done. The fact the Tigers have also kept their farm system, which includes five players currently in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list, intact means they’ll have another chance to contend over the next few seasons.
The Tigers still have time to make a bigger move if they wanted to. But this trade should be considered a victory as Detroit marches toward October.