Veteran reliever Kyle Finnegan is returning to the Tigers on a two-year deal, according to multiple reports including MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
The club has not confirmed the agreement, which is pending a physical and worth $19 million, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Finnegan’s 90 saves since the beginning of 2023 are the fifth most in the big leagues. That includes his 24 saves last season, 20 of which came with the Nationals before he was traded to the Tigers on July 31. The Detroit native locked down only four saves in five opportunities after the deal, but more importantly, he became a much more effective pitcher with Detroit.
In 18 innings with the Tigers, Finnegan registered a sparkling 1.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts and only four walks. Greater usage of his splitter seemed to play a big role in Finnegan’s improvement. It’s a weapon that he had while he was racking up the saves with Washington, but he kept it under wraps more often. From 2023-25 with the Nats, Finnegan recorded a 3.87 ERA, a 4.25 FIP and a fairly pedestrian 12.9% strikeout-minus-walk rate while throwing his splitter only about a quarter of the time. In those days, his four-seamer was his dominant pitch.
His splitter usage more than doubled with Detroit, up to 54.8%. Hitters were just 5-for-37 with 19 strikeouts against that pitch. Finnegan’s FIP was just 1.97 with the Tigers. His K-BB rate was an impressive 28.8%, and he served up only one homer after allowing 1.2 homers per nine innings in his final three seasons with the Nats. He baffled opposing hitters to a slash line of .153/.203/.254 over 66 plate appearances.
The 34-year-old is entering his seventh Major League season and was an All-Star in 2024. The Nationals non-tendered Finnegan after he turned in a post-All-Star break ERA of 6.43 that year. But the two sides reunited on a one-year deal last February.
