After landing Paul Sewald in a surprise deal with the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers stayed aggressive on Thursday. Detroit is clearly doubling down on improving its bullpen ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. With injuries piling up postseason hopes well alive, the addition of Finnegan gives the Tigers another proven late-inning option to reinforce their corps.
Tigers Acquire Kyle Finnegan: 3 Key Takeaways from the 2025 Deadline Deal originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
After landing Paul Sewald in a surprise deal with the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers stayed aggressive on Thursday.
The Tigers acquired Kyle Finnegan from the Washington Nationals, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Detroit is clearly doubling down on improving its bullpen ahead of the 2025 trade deadline. With injuries piling up postseason hopes well alive, the addition of Finnegan gives the Tigers another proven late-inning option to reinforce their corps.
The Tigers are acquiring reliever Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals, per source.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 31, 2025
1. High-Leverage Strikeout Help
Finnegan, 33, brings a proven late-innings track record. With six MLB seasons under his belt and a $6 million contract that expires after 2025, Detroit adds a strikeout-oriented arm likely to fill high-leverage roles. The Nationals non-tendered him in arbitration last November before re-signing him on a one-year deal in February. He's been the subject of trade buzz ever since he cemented himself as a closer.
Kyle Finnegan, Dirty 90mph Splitter. ✌️
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2024
Bend the Knee. pic.twitter.com/OjLQbWF38x
2. Much-Needed Bullpen Reinforcement for Detroit
Detroit’s bullpen has been serviceable in some areas but lacks firepower. As of Thursday, Tigers relievers ranked 10th in the American League with a 4.16 ERA, tied for 12th in strikeouts (360), 5th in earned runs allowed (195), and 7th in saves (28). While those numbers show some stability, the group is middle-of-the-pack in dominance and has lacked swing-and-miss capability.
Finnegan helps address that, with a fastball in the upper 90s and a track record of missing bats in high-leverage situations.
3. Bolsters Depth Amid Injury Concerns & Deadline Moves
Detroit’s bullpen has been tested throughout the season. Jason Foley was shut down earlier in the year. Sean Guenther is on the 60-day injured list. Kenta Maeda was released after early-season struggles out of the bullpen. That left the Tigers leaning heavily on Will Vest, Tommy Kahnle, and Tyler Holton to bridge games, often without enough reliable depth. By adding Finnegan alongside Sewald, Detroit now has multiple trustworthy arms for high-pressure innings.
This allows manager A.J. Hinch more flexibility with matchups and reliever roles as the team enters the final two months with postseason hopes still alive.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
