Right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan thrived with the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers acquired Finnegan from the Washington Nationals at the July 31 trade deadline, then Finnegan unlocked the best version of himself by implementing adjustments to his pitch mix and expanding his role beyond the ninth inning. Both sides benefited from their two-plus months together.
It’s no surprise there’s mutual interest in a reunion.
“We loved having Kyle,” general manager Jeff Greenberg said Nov. 12 at the GM meetings in Las Vegas. “He deserves all of the credit in the world for being as open-minded as he was to making those adjustments and embracing the roles that we put him in and his impact in the clubhouse. For all of those reasons, we have interest in bringing him back.”
Neither side is guaranteeing a reunion, but approximately one hour after the Tigers were eliminated from the postseason, Finnegan made his interest clear: He is open to returning to the Tigers in the 2026 season.
The 34-year-old became a free agent in early November.
“I loved every second of my time here,” Finnegan said Oct. 10 after Game 5 of the ALDS. “Hopefully, the feeling is mutual. I’ll head into free agency and see what that has in store for me, but I can’t say enough good things about the Tigers.”
The Tigers pursued Finnegan in the 2024-25 offseason before he signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Nationals. They finally acted on that interest by acquiring him at the 2025 trade deadline. Now they’re interested again in the 2025-26 offseason with hopes of bringing back their top reliever.
Bullpen upgrades are the No. 1 priority.
“The bullpen is going to be a priority just given the volume of free agents we lost,” Greenberg said, referencing the departures of Finnegan, Rafael Montero and Paul Sewald. “The ability to add swing-and-miss is obviously important.”
Pitching for the Tigers changed Finnegan’s career.
In 2025, he logged a 3.47 ERA with 18 walks and 55 strikeouts across 57 innings in 56 games between the Nationals (40 games, 39 innings) and the Tigers (16 games, 18 innings). He recorded 24 saves in 31 opportunities.
Before the trade, he posted a 4.37 ERA with a 19.6% strikeout rate for the Nationals. After the trade, he registered a 1.50 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate for the Tigers.
Overhauling his pitch mix — more splitters, fewer fastballs — skyrocketed his strikeout rate.
“You never know what the season has in store for you,” said Finnegan, a six-year MLB veteran who made the All-Star Game in 2024. “Getting traded over here was big for me. I unlocked a lot of things that will help me moving forward in my career, and that’s a testament to the people that this organization has.”
The Tigers aren’t the only team interested in Finnegan.
Bringing him back should be a slam dunk because of the previous partnership — but only if the Tigers are willing to at least match competing offers, even if that means a potential two year, $20 million contract.
Mutual interest is only the first step in negotiations.
