The American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers, in an effort to bolster their weakest link for a World Series run, have acquired closer Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals for two minor leaguers, it was announced Thursday.
Finnegan, one of five players to record 20 or more saves in each of the last three seasons, is the second veteran reliever added by the Tigers in the past 24 hours, joining Paul Sewald, who was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians.
The Nationals received right-handers Josh Randall and RJ Sales in the deal as they remain busy ahead of Thursday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. Washington has traded five players in four deals since Friday as the organization pushes to convert veterans into lottery tickets for its ongoing rebuild.
Finnegan, 33, has a 4.38 ERA and 20 saves in 40 appearances this season. He was an All-Star in 2024, which he finished with a 3.68 ERA and 38 saves in 65 games. His mediocre underlying numbers, however, created a weak market when he reached free agency, and he ended up rejoining the Nationals on a one-year, $6 million contract. The Tigers will pay him the balance of his deal before he reaches free agency again this offseason.
Finnegan is a hard thrower -- his 96.2 mph average fastball velocity ranks in the 80th percentile this season -- but the stuff has produced just a 19.6% strikeout rate while his 21.7% whiff rate ranks in the 24th percentile. His 3.60 FIP, however, suggests he has been better than his ERA indicates.
He should improve a Tigers bullpen that ranks 27th in the majors in ERA (5.68), 29th in WHIP (1.54), 27th in opponent OPS (.800) since July 1, according to ESPN Research. It also ranked 19th in win probability added since June 1.
Randall, 22, has a 4.71 ERA in 80⅓ innings across 17 starts between Low-A and High-A this season. He was a third-round pick in last year's draft. Sale, also 22, has a 2.98 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) in Low-A this season after being selected in the 10th round in 2024.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.