Washington Nationals All-Star Closer Seen As Likely Trade Chip This Summer
The Washington Nationals are struggling to begin the 2025 season, with the likelihood of them contending for a playoff spot being slim.
Coming into the year, the Nationals were hoping to see some improvements in the win column. Through 19 games, the team has a 7-12 record and don't appear like they are ready to contend.
Even though they might not make the postseason, improving on 71 wins should be the main goal, while further developing some of their young talent at this level.
Fortunately, there have been some players performing well early on this year.
As the team looks to identify who can be building blocks for the future, players like Mitchell Parker, MacKenzie Gore and James Wood are shining early on.
However, with the team likely not to be in playoff contention come summer, they will most likely be seller at the trade deadline.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Nationals potentially being a seller in a challenging National League , with their closer being a potential trade candidate.
“Like [Josh] Bell, [Kyle] Finnegan is a good bet to be dealt this summer as the Nationals are unlikely to be able to keep pace with the Phillies, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets in the NL East.”
It was shocking that Washington elected not to trade Kyle Finnegan in 2024 after he was selected to the All-Star team. His value will likely never be higher than it was last summer, but the team elected to keep him.
After a dreadful second half of the season, this winter was an odd one for Finnegan.
The Nationals decided to non-tender his contract, making him a free agent. However, the poor second half of the year must have scared a lot of teams off, as he ended up signing back with Washington for $6 million.
So far, Finnegan has looked like the All-Star version of himself in 2025 with a 1.17 ERA and six saves.
Because of that, once the summer rolls around and the Nationals are likely out of contention, they must be smart and move him if he is still pitching well and has value.
An All-Star-caliber closer could net a solid return at the deadline, and Washington could stockpile more young talent in return.
It’s unfortunate that the team isn’t performing better to begin the year, but this is still a franchise in the midst of a rebuild, so they must learn from their mistake a year ago and move their closer if the price is right.
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Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.