Washington Nationals non-tender reliever Kyle Finnegan is leaving the All-Star season

The Washington Nationals have undrafted relief pitchers Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey, the team announced Friday evening.

The moves came in just before MLB’s 8:00 PM ET deadline. Instead of going to arbitration with the pair of right-handers, the Nationals remove them from their 40-man roster and let them enter free agency.

MLB Trade Rumors predicted Finnegan would make $8.6 million in 2025, while Rainey was in line for an estimated $1.9 million payday. Spotrac valued them at $7.85 million and $1.5 million, respectively.

Finnegan, 33, made his first career All-Star appearance in 2024. Through June 3, he had a 1.98 ERA and 0.936 WHIP.

The righty struggled, however, with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.866 WHIP from that point on. Still, he finished the season with a 3.68 ERA, 1.335 WHIP and 1.0 WAR, converting 38 of his 43 save opportunities.

Finnegan has played at least 65 games in each of the past four seasons. Since Finnegan made his MLB debut in 2020, only one National League pitcher has taken the mound more times than him: San Francisco Giants sub Tyler Rogers.

As for Rainey, he joined the Nationals in 2019 after his rookie season with the Cincinnati Reds. He earned a World Series ring even as he posted a 6.75 ERA during the Nationals’ postseason run.

Rainey had a 3.54 ERA from 2019 to 2020, but saw that explode to 7.39 in 2021. After regaining control and posting a 3.30 ERA in 2022, he underwent a Tommy John surgery and missed most of 2023.

The 31-year-old returned to full strength in 2024, but posted a 4.76 ERA and 0.1 WAR in his 50 appearances. For his career, Rainey is 5-10 with a 5.23 ERA, 1.483 WHIP, 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.1 WAR.

Finnegan’s market will likely be deeper than Rainey’s, but both relievers should be on big league rosters in 2025. The Nationals, meanwhile, are left with Derek Law, Robert Garcia, Jose A. Ferrer and Eduardo Salazar as their most reliable remaining options. out of the bullpen.

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