Kyle

Finnegan

Finnegan got the call to extinguish a ninth-inning fire after rookie Brad Lord allowed three consecutive batters to reach safely, which brought the potential tying run to the on-deck circle. Thus, it was a save situation despite Washington holding a five-run lead at the time. Finnegan got Rafael Marchán to ground into a fielder’s choice before striking out Kyle Schwarber and coaxing a game-ending line out from Alec Bohm. The 33-year-old veteran appears locked into the closer role for the Nationals and should be rostered in all fantasy formats.

With his velocity down 1-2 mph, Finnegan got just one missed swing on the 19 pitches he threw today. Of course, Finnegan didn’t come to terms with the Nationals until Feb. 25 and has only been officially signed for nine days now; he was always probably going to be a little off in his first couple of appearances.

The deal was made official earlier this week to bring Finnegan back as Washington’s primary closer. The 33-year-old stopper was a surprising non-tender last November by the Nationals after recording 38 saves to accompany a respectable 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 60/24 K/BB ratio across 63 2/3 innings of work. There won’t be a ton of saves this season for the rebuilding Nationals, but Finnegan’s experience and relative lack of competition for the role puts him into the top-25 range among relief pitchers for fantasy purposes.

Finnegan was non-tendered back in November by the Nationals on the heels of an All-Star campaign when he recorded 38 saves along with a strong 3.68 ERA. It likely worked out in the club’s favor since Finnegan could have earned up to $9 million in arbitration but will come back at just $6 million after he was unable to land a better deal elsewhere. He should slot back in as the team’s closer and could be a trade candidate again this summer if the Nationals are not in playoff contention. That means Jorge Lopez will go back to being just another late-inning reliever for Washington.

The reliever market is starting to dwindle down, and Finnegan was able to save 38 games for the Nationals in 2024. The 33-year-old right-hander has been linked to the Cubs, but there are a few teams could use a high-leverage reliever for their bullpen that could add him to the mix. Finnegan will need to be a closer in order to have any real fantasy value in the 2025 campaign.

The 33-year-old right-hander was non-tendered by the Nationals last month in a surprising move since he had pitched to a 3.68 ERA with 38 saves in 63 2/3 innings in 2024. Instead of trading him at the deadline, the Nationals held onto him and then let Finnegan go rather than pay him $8 million a year. The Cubs do have some questions at the back of their bullpen, so it’s possible that Finnegan could compete for saves alongside Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, and Nate Pearson if the Cubs were to sign him.

A stunner. Finnegan’s arbitration salaries have been inflated by his save counts, but the Nationals could have traded him at any point in the last couple of years and gotten something for him. Plus, it’s not like they have much else they’re spending money on; not counting what they still owe Stephen Strasburg, Keibert Ruiz is their highest-paid player at $5.4 million. Finnegan wound up with a 3.68 ERA and 38 saves in 63 2/3 innings last season. It’s fine if the Nationals think they can put the $8 million-$9 million they’re saving here to better use, but they knew this day was coming months ago and still didn’t flip him for a prospect at the deadline.

Finnegan was summoned to close out the game with a three-run lead in the ninth inning. He gave up leadoff single before inducing a ground ball double-play and striking out the final batter to end the game with his 38th save.

What a legendary season it’s been for Finnegan. Presumed to lose the job at any minute heading into April, he trails only Ryan Helsley and Emmanuel Clase in saves and has only blown one of his last 14 tries. He’s one of the true MVPs of the fantasy baseball season.

Finnegan threw 14-of-19 pitches for strikes, and he picked up a pair of strikeouts while not allowing a hit. It’s one of the better outings for the 33-year-old as of late, as the right-hander has been able to procure saves — 36 of them, to be exact — but given up runs in many of those outings. Finnegan should again be the stopper for the Nationals in 2025, barring a trade in the offseason.