Free Agent Closer from Washington Nationals Fits New York Mets' Needs

Could the Washington Nationals see their free-agent closer go to the New York Mets?

Sep 13, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) delivers a throw during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

With Spring Training getting closer and closer for the Washington Nationals, they recently got pretty busy making upgrades and filling out their roster. 

For two consecutive years, the Nationals have won just 71 games. The rebuild has been going on since they won the World Series in 2019, but there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. 

The young core for Washington in their lineup has been starting to make an impact in the big leagues, and they are going to be an exciting group to watch in 2025. Led by CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr., young players like James Wood and Dylan Crews will be looking to make the same jump that those two made in 2024 this coming season. 

While the lineup has a bright future heading into the season, there are some concerns about both the starting rotation and the bullpen. 

In the rotation, the Nationals are extremely young and could have some growing pains once again this season. For their bullpen, the unit wasn’t terrible in 2024, led by All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan. 

However, the All-Star closer was awful in the second half of the season with an ERA over 5.00. Washington made the somewhat surprising, but potentially good move to non-tender his contract, making him a free agent. 

Now, Finnegan is on the open market and with relievers always being at a premium for contenders, he should have a number of suitors. One team that makes a lot of sense for his services is the New York Mets. 

The Mets were able to have an excellent season in 2024, making it all the way to the National League Championship Series. They have followed that up this winter by signing the best free agent on the market in Juan Soto, giving them one of the best young stars in the game. 

However, if New York is going to try and compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL, they are going to have to continue to improve. In their bullpen, they have a good closer in Edwin Diaz, and they also recently signed A.J. Minter. However, adding a pitcher like Finnegan would give them a nice trio at the backend. 

Overall, the bullpen was a concern at times for New York in 2024, so pursuing some more relief help makes sense. 

For the Nationals, they have yet to bring in an adequate replacement for their All-Star closer. With options starting to dwindle, the bullpen could be emerging as a major issue and something to watch for the rest of the offseason.