Miguel Cairo on Nationals Reliever Jose A. Ferrer: ‘That’s My Ninth Inning Guy’
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The trade of closer Kyle Finnegan meant the Washington Nationals had to find someone to fill that ninth inning void. Finnegan had saved more than 100 games in his Washington career. But after his trade to the Detroit Tigers, the race was on to replace him.
It sounds like interim manager Miguel Cairo has made his decision. For now, his guy is long-time set-up man Jose A. Ferrer, a left-hander with undeniable stuff that just hasn’t had the chance to close with Finnegan in the role.
“That’s my ninth-inning guy,” Cairo said on Saturday after the Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-2. “And he did his job.”
Jose A. Ferrer Moves to Closer
With one out in the eighth inning, Cairo turned to Ferrer to try and clean up the inning. The Giants had the bases loaded and the Nats were up 4-1. Ferrer did allow one runner to score, as Wilmer Flores’ sacrifice fly scored Heliot Ramos.
But Flores slammed the door shut after that. He struck out third baseman Matt Chapman to end the inning as the Giants left two runners stranded, including the tying run. Normally, the ninth inning would have been Finnegan time. But Cairo had a decision to make.
Cairo had recently anointed Ferrer the closer. He could have turned to another pitcher. Managers tend to avoid asking their closer to get five outs in a game. But, according to MASN’s Mark Zuckerman, Cairo wasn’t worried about that. He was worried about winning the game.
“I was just like: I’ve got to worry about today. I cannot worry about tomorrow,” he said. “That was the best matchup. Their good hitters were coming up. I’ll just take my chances with him.”
Ferrer didn’t retire the side and things got a bit adventurous. He gave up a single to Jung Hoo Lee. Then, he got Casey Schmitt to line out and gave up a single to pinch-hitter Christian Koss. But he locked in with the tying run aboard as he got catcher Patrick Bailey to ground into a game-ending double play.
For the 25-year-old Ferrer, it was his second career save. If Cairo has it his way, the left-hander will get as many chances as possible to show that he’s the right pitcher for the role for the Nationals in 2026 and beyond.
Jose Ferrer’s Nationals History
The former international signee made his Major League debut with Washington in 2023. While he went 3-0 and had five holds, he missed on his two save opportunities and finished the season with a 5.03 ERA. He struck out 25 in 34 innings and gave up four home runs.
Last season Ferrer was in line for a bigger role in the bullpen, but he was limited to 31 appearances thanks to a lat strain. But when he was on the mound, he proved a capable set-up man for Finnegan, who was an All-Star last season.
He ended up recording his first career save, finished with a 3.38 ERA and gave up just one home run in 32 innings. He also went 1-0 and has six holds. His velocity came around, too. Per MLB.com his fastball, a four-seamer, averaged 98.3 mph, which was in the 97th percentile among all pitchers last season.
Washington invested considerable effort in preparing Ferrer for this moment. The Nationals signed him as an international free agent in 2017, and he needed six years to get through the minors, missing 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022 he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game, and the Nationals placed him on their 40-man roster later that year to protect him from the from the Rule 5 draft.
Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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