Nationals Expected to Trade These Two Pitchers by Deadline, per MLB Insider

The Washington Nationals are expected to be two pitchers short by the time the MLB trade deadline passes on Thursday.

Apr 17, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Nationals hats and gloves in the dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

So far, the Washington Nationals have kept their powder dry in the lead-up to the MLB trade deadline, but one insider believes that will change.

MLB insider Jim Bowden, who writes for The Athletic, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the Nationals are expected to move starter Michael Soroka and reliever Kyle Finnegan by the deadline, which is 6 p.m. eastern on Thursday.

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Bowden, a former MLB general manager, did not indicate their destinations. But there is no shortage of teams interested in a veteran starter and a veteran closer.

Soroka is set to start on Tuesday night against the Houston Astros, giving him one last opportunity to impress potential trade suitors before the deadline.

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The 27-year-old right-hander enters Tuesday’s start with a 3-8 record and a 4.85 ERA. He has 83 strikeouts and 24 walks in 15 starts. He missed a month at the start of the season due to a right biceps strain.

But he’s well past the Achilles injury that stole his 2021 and 2022 seasons and has re-established himself as a starter. He was formerly an All-Star with the Atlanta Braves in 2019, when he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in his first full Major League season.

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Finnegan, like Soroka, is a free agent after the season. He returned to the Nationals this season after the franchise non-tendered him last November. He tested free agency and was unable to find a deal, so he returned to Washington.

The closer is having another solid season. He has converted 20 saves in 26 chances and has a 1-4 record with a 4.38 ERA. He had 60 strikeouts and 24 walks in 39 innings.

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He could be a closer or a high-leverage set-up man for a contender. He 108 career saves and 39 career holds.

So far, the Nats have made just one trade. Over the weekend they sent their veteran utilityman, Amed Rosario, to the New York Yankees for pitcher Clayton Better and center fielder Browm Martinez.

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