The Washington Nationals have continued their dismissal of pitchers in exchange for future assets.
This may be the Nats’ last deal before the MLB trade deadline. Midday on Thursday, they traded away veteran relief star Kyle Finnegan to the Detroit Tigers, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The exciting part about such deals is the return, one the Nationals hope will help them overcome the disappointment of this season and be a true contender again in the future.
And in exchange for Finnegan, the Nats got a pair of right-handed pitchers: Josh Randall and R.J. Sales.
Randall is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound 22-year old out of the University of San Diego. He was chosen in the third round of the 2024 draft.
This season has been split between Single-A and High-A for Randall. Combined, he has a 3.92 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 80.1 innings.
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Sales is a 6-foot right-hander who was taken in the 10th round last year out of UNC-Wilmington.
He didn’t pitch in pro ball last season after his selection, but so far this season, Sales had been a star for Single-A Lakeland. He is 4-3 with a 2.71 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 66 innings.
Neither Randall or Sales projects to be a front-of-the-rotation arm. But if they develop into MLB starting pitchers at all, they are more than a worthwhile return for Finnegan.
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Finnegan has been a solid bullpen option for years for the Nationals, but he’s the kind of guy that gets shipped out when a team is struggling.
It’s a cool opportunity for Finnegan, a Michigan native, to go and pitch for the AL Central-leading Tigers.
The Nationals did well enough in the return to think it could wind up as a win-win deal for both sides down the road.
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