Every Major League Baseball team eventually has to decide whether to buy or sell by the trade deadline. But as of now, it’s highly unlikely the Toronto Blue Jays have made their choice.
The Blue Jays have danced around the .500 mark all season, and entered play Friday at 25-24. They’ve got some notable roster holes to plug if they want to go all-in, but they also have highly intriguing veterans on expiring contracts to trade away if they wave the white flag.
Every team that buys is at least somewhat interested in bullpen help, and the Blue Jays’ high-leverage relievers got off to rough starts in May. That would make it a no-brainer to acquire at least one late-inning option if they choose the buying route.
One Blue Jays writer believes there’s an All-Star closer who would be right up their alley.
On Friday, Matthew Spagnuolo of Blue Jays Nation named Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan, who will be a free agent this winter, as a top prospective trade target for this Toronto team ahead of the Jul. 31 deadline.
“Given he only signed a one-year contract with the Nats, it’s possible, given they are only 22-27 this season, offloading Finnegan can be something (Washington) can sell if they want to get MLB-ready players from the Blue Jays down the road,” Spagnuolo wrote.
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“So far in 19 games for Washington, he’s recorded 15 saves (he had 38 in 2024) and a 2.41 ERA across 18 2/3 innings of work this season as a closer. He’s given up his fair share of hits (8.7 H/9), but the damage has been limited to just five earned runs and limits the hard contact.”
Finnegan is 33, so the Blue Jays probably wouldn’t view him as a long-term piece of the puzzle. But he’s the perfect rental candidate, and the Blue Jays might want another option for the closer role.
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