Washington Nationals Predicted for Odd Reunion with All-Star Closer

Is it possible that the Washington Nationals could sign this wayward All-Star closer before spring training begins?

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 nearly here for the Washington Nationals, the franchise will be looking to take a nice step forward after a productive offseason.

As the winter winds down for the Nationals, the team is excited to get back on the field with their young core of talent being another year older and more developed.

While there is a lot of excitement surrounding what the lineup might be able to accomplish, there is reason to be concerned about the starting rotation and the bullpen.

For the rotation, the unit is fairly young with a lot of question marks. Luckily, the Nationals did re-sign veteran Trevor Williams, who will hopefully be able to provide some stability.

In the bullpen, the Nationals could use at least an arm or two before the start of the season. Fortunately, there are still some options available.

Chad Jennings of The Athletic recently predicted that despite non-tendering his contract this offseason, that the Nationals would reunite with their All-Star closer from last season, Kyle Finnegan.  

“Finnegan has his shortcomings, but the Nationals never really replaced him this offseason, and at this point, bringing him back would be their best way to improve the bullpen," he wrote.

This would certainly be a wild turn of events for Washington but with a need still in the bullpen and Finnegan’s market seemingly quiet, it could make sense and end up saving the Nationals money.

It was a tale of two halves of the season for the veteran closer. In the first half of the campaign, Finnegan was great for Washington. He totaled a 2.45 ERA and saved 25 games.

He was deserving of making the All-Star team, but unfortunately, he looked like a completely different pitcher in the second half of the season.

Following the All-Star break, Finnegan totaled an ERA of 5.79. In addition to the ERA ballooning, so did his WHIP. Furthermore, his strikeout rate also came crumbling down.

Due to him being set to make a nice chunk of change this offseason, the Nationals making the decision to non-tender him makes sense considering the struggles in the second half.

So far, it looks like it might have been the right move considering the veteran has still yet to be signed.

Even though there were obvious concerns about his performance in the second half of the year, a strange reunion might make sense for both sides. Despite letting their closer go, the Nationals also haven’t made an addition to replace him.

Even though the pairing is a strange one, it could make a lot of sense for both sides.