Nationals trade closer Finnegan to Tigers ahead of deadline

The NL East-worst Washington Nationals shipped another player to a contender ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

They sent closer Kyle Finnegan to the Detroit Tigers, one of the American League’s top teams. 

Washington received pitchers Josh Randall and RJ Sales in the exchange. 

Randall, 22, was a third-round pick for Detroit in 2024 and was listed as the organization’s 15th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. He has split time between Single-A and High-A, maintaining a 3.92 ERA. 

Sales, 22, was a 10th-round pick last year and has spent this season in Single-A, producing a 2.71 ERA.

Finnegan dominated trade rumors for three straight summers. Now, with the 33-year-old set to become a free agent in the offseason, interim general manager Mike DeBartolo pulled the trigger. 

Finnegan saw it coming. 

“The chatter’s always been out there, but I understand how the game works. And this year is probably the most likely scenario,” he told MASN this week. “But at the same time, I feel like the team’s not going to get rid of guys just to get rid of them. They have to feel like they get a fair deal coming back. As likely as it is, I won’t believe it until it happens.”

Finnegan notched a 4.38 ERA across 40 appearances this year. He earned a save in 20 of his 26 opportunities, recording 32 strikeouts with 14 walks. 

He’s the fourth pitcher dealt by the Nationals this week. The team traded relievers Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday before shipping starter Michael Soroka to the National League-contending Chicago Cubs.