Is this the year Kyle Finnegan becomes a Cub? Trade buzz picks up |
Dustin Riese
· · 5 hours ago
Where have you heard this before? The Cubs not only have interest in a reliever, but they have interest in closer Kyle Finnegan. A name that has been linked to the Cubs going all the way back to last trade deadline and then again this offseason. What once looked like a done deal this offseason turned into Finnegan resigning with the Nationals, where he has continued to have a fine season.
Now, with the Nationals firing both their manager and GM, it could be time for them to start selling off some pieces, and Finnegan could be on that list. If that is the case, the Cubs are going to heavily pursue the Nationals closer as he remains one of their top, if not their top, relief prospect as the deadline nears. Not your prototypical closer in today's game, the 33-year-old Finnegan was a late bloomer in terms of his overall success and has now turned into one of the game's best and most consistent closers. You pair him with Daniel Palencia, and the Cubs would have by far the best back end in their division and possibly even the National League. Although age 33 is nearing the end of what is known as your baseball prime, you would never guess that based on his numbers this season or even over the past few seasons. Signed to a one-year, six-million-dollar deal, Finnegan is solely a rental player and is someone you could deploy in either the eighth or ninth innings and not miss a beat. That alone gives this team more flexibility in the late innings, which is something you need to consider with Palencia. As good as he has been this season, Palencia tends to lose his command while also relying too heavily on his fastball and not mixing in his secondary pitches effectively. While Finnegan heavily relies on his heater, he isn't afraid to mix things up, which is one of the many reasons he has become a great closer. Armed with a fastball that sits around 97 MPH, Finnegan backs that up with a change-up in the 88 MPH range while also unleashing a mid-80s breaker that he can deploy in any count. When he is at his best, all three of these pitches are working, which makes him one of the tougher guys to square up. With a career high 38 saves in 2024 and 28 more in 2023, Finnegan has taken over as a full-time closer and now has 107 saves to his name. That includes 19 more this season as he continues to be ranked near the top of the National League. As impressive as those numbers look, and as good as he has been, there are some concerns with his performance, with the ERA being the biggest one. Finnegan has never been a low-ERA closer, as his 3.64 ERA would suggest, but with a career-worst 4.25 ERA this season, he has seen that go above 4.00 for the first time in his career. That isn't what you want from your closer, which is why you could see him moved out of that role should the Cubs trade him. You also have to consider his strikeout rate, which is another concern, as he doesn't strike out many batters despite throwing 97 MPH. In his 36 innings this season, Finnegan has 13 walks compared to 29 strikeouts and has never struck out more than 70 batters in a season. That comes out to roughly 9 Ks per 9 innings pitched for his career, which isn't terrible, but still not what you want to see from your closer. However, what he lacks in strikeouts, he makes up for in other areas, as he does a great job avoiding the barrel, while also registering a close to 47% ground ball rate. That alone would play well in Wrigley with the wind blowing in and is a massive reason why the Cubs continue to show interest in him. Even if his performance has declined over the last few months, Finnegan is a name that will be heavily coveted on the trade market. The Cubs are one of the many teams interested in him, and he appears to be extremely high on their list of relief targets at this point. Who knows? Perhaps they have information the rest of the league doesn't, and that could work in their favor for getting something done.
