Tigers Land Yankees Trade Target

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The New York Yankees have lost another target to a busy market ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, the Detroit Tigers are finalizing a deal to trade for Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan.
The Detroit Tigers are finalizing a deal to acquire closer Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025
Finnegan has a 4.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 39 innings through 40 games this season for the Nationals. The numbers are some of the worst so far in his career, which began in 2020. The Nationals and Tigers have yet to release which players Detroit will be sending to Washington.
While Finnergan wasn't one of the more recent names connected to the Yankees, but he had been tabbed to New York earlier this month. The Pinstripes are in real need of a bullpen arm or two, with their relief pitching being shaky at best this season. They haven't been able to nail down a solid closer, and are instead implementing a "one inning per pitcher" strategy at the end of some games, frequently rotating between Tim Hill, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.
The Yankees have until 6 p.m. today, July 31, to make any and all trades, and are reportedly still searching for both a bullpen arm and a pitcher to add to the starting rotation.

Delilah Bourque is a writer and copyeditor based out of Pittsburgh, PA. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021. After a few years in corporate marketing, she joined On SI as a full-time copyeditor and contributor to the New York Yankees On SI, as well as occasional contributions across the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers on SI.