Why Yankees, Dodgers Make Sense As Trade Fit For Nationals’ Star Closer

FanSided’s Nick Villano recently predicted the Washington Nationals would trade their closer, Kyle Finnegan, ahead of the trade deadline.

“We end this list with another relief pitcher on an awful team. It’s a tale as old as time,” Villano wrote. “Bad teams don’t have much use for a closer when they can’t get anything out of the starter. So, let’s find a new home for Washington Nationals’ closer Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan is ideally a setup man at his next stop because he doesn’t necessarily have ‘hit-and-miss’ stuff, but he can get outs.

“That’s what matters. He already has 18 saves on the paltry Nationals this season. It’s not exactly All-Star worthy like it was last season, but he’s doing his job and could have a career-high in ERA. Finnegan is later in his career than some teams would like (33 years old), but he’s a quality arm that deserves a chance to do something in the playoffs.”

When looking at potential suitors for Finnegan, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers stand out as obvious landing spots.

The Dodgers have faced as many pitching injuries as any team in baseball. They need to add more talent to their bullpen, despite having multiple closer-level arms at the backend of it. Adding Finnegan would give the Dodgers another reliable arm to slot in at the back portion of games.

The Yankees have a talented bullpen, but they can always add more. While relievers like Ryan Helsley and Jhoan Duran may be enticing, they’re likely out of the Yankees’ price range. Finnegan could likely be acquired for much less than the top reliever on the market. He’d fit the Yankees perfectly.

Washington will likely get whatever it can out of him. A trade should be expected in the coming weeks.

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