Nationals Star Named Trade Fit for Two Rivals, Could Increase Return

The Washington Nationals just might find themselves in the middle of a bidding war between two NL East Rivals.

Jun 6, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan (67) reacts after an error at first base during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Nationals Park | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

At this point in time, the Washington Nationals need to start figuring out which players they are going to trade away ahead of the deadline.

With some impending free agents and intriguing veterans on their roster, the Nationals find themselves in a position to add more young talent to their organization that will hopefully help them become perennial contenders for years to come.

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How those tradeable assets perform prior to July 31 is going to determine how much Washington gets in return, but the player who seems to be circled the most in discussions in Kyle Finnegan.

That shouldn't be a surprise.

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The right-hander has been one of the best backend relievers in the sport over the last few years, coming on routinely in high-leverage situations to secure wins for his team way more often than not.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed him as one of the 14 prime trade candidates this season, but it's the teams he detailed as fits that could put the Nationals in an incredible spot to get the maximum return possible.

Along with the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds, the insider highlighted the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies as two teams that could be interested in acquiring Finnegan.

This could be a major benefit for Washington if that's the case.

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Insiders around the league are already expecting the Phillies and Mets to get into a bidding war for relief arms, and normally, whenever a front office is discussing a potential trade with another inside their own division, they are hesitant to give up a ton of assets because they could be facing those prospects in the future for years to come.

But if they are bidding against another rival to get something done, then there's a chance they go beyond the normal limit they would place on themselves.

That could be the case here, and the Nationals would be huge beneficiaries.

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