Injury Has Not Kept Tigers Acquisition of Kyle Finnegan off Top Trades List
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The Detroit Tigers were one of several franchises around the league that were seeking some bullpen help ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
They had a clear need for a relief pitcher that could solidify the back end of their staff. Someone with late-game experience would be ideal. If they could get swings and misses with regularity, they would be able to kill two birds with one stone. The Tigers’ bullpen was near the bottom of the league when it came to generating whiffs.
Alas, the approach the team took left a lot of people perplexed. Instead of going to the top of the market and pursuing someone such as David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates, they shopped a few tiers lower. In the end, they acquired Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals, Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves, Paul Sewald from the Cleveland Guardians and Codi Heuer from the Texas Rangers.
It wasn’t a haul that excited many people. Analysts and fans alike were disappointed in the additions. But things have turned out a lot better than anyone would have guessed. Montero put together an impressive hot streak before some recent struggles, but it has been Finnegan who has been the crown jewel of the MLB trade deadline.
Tigers Acquisition of Kyle Finnegan Is Amongst Best in Baseball This Year
Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated put him on the list of the 10 best MLB trade deadline acquisitions this year. It is hard to argue against that, given how well he has performed. And had he not gotten hurt, the move very likely would be higher than No. 10.
His production has been otherworldly since Detroit got its hands on him. The coaching staff quickly made adjustments to his arsenal, changing his sequencing and usage.
With the Nationals, he was using his fastball nearly two-thirds of the time. Since joining the Tigers, his fastball usage has dropped to 42.8% with a massive jump in his splitter usage.
The results have been magnificent. Finnegan has not allowed a run in 12 outings and 14.1 innings. He has taken his strikeout production to another level with 19 punchouts, resulting in an impressive 11.9 K/9. Unfortunately, Detroit hasn’t had the luxury of deploying him late in games in recent weeks.
While warming up to enter the game against the New York Mets on Sept. 3, he looked to have injured himself. It turned out that he hurt his groin and landed on the injured list. He has been working his way back recently, which is great news for the Tigers.
Getting him some game action down the stretch ahead of the postseason is important. Throwing him back into the mix without a ramp-up in a playoff game would be a tough situation for anyone to thrive in.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.