Cubs Free Agent Target: Kyle Finnegan |
Hey Chicago, What Do You say? The Cubs are going to win today. Well, they haven't been doing much winning the past few seasons, but after posting back-to-back 83-win seasons, the wins are there, but they are letting too many other wins get away. A big reason for that has been an inconsistent offense that can score 10-plus at any time but will then follow that up with four games where they score two runs or less.
That can't happen if you want to be considered a top-tier team, and if the Cubs' offense could even be a little more consistent, they would be a 90-win team. However, the single biggest reason this team was in the position it was in last season was the bullpen, or should we say the lack of a bullpen in the first half of the season, as the Cubs couldn't do anything right early on. Not only did the Cubs blow 42 games throughout the season, but they blew an MLB-worst 27 saves last season, which doesn't bode well for anyone. Granted, not all those blown saves resulted in losses, but if the Cubs could've found a way to win six or seven more games, this team would've been in the playoffs last season. Knowing that they can't trot out a bullpen that bad again, the Cubs are expected to address the bullpen at some point this offseason, and you started to see that in their trade for Eli Morgan. Morgan was one of the many stabilizing forces in the Guardians' pen last season and will be an excellent addition to the pen for this season. He is the first of several bullpen moves this offseason as the Cubs aim to improve that area of the team. One name on the open market that no one has discussed much about is also someone who could help the Cubs, as Kyle Finnegan would be a nice addition to the pen. Say what you want about Finnegan and his 3-8 record last season, but he played for a terrible Washington Nationals team and still posted a respectable 3.65 ERA across the 65 games he played. While those might not scream great numbers to anyone, Finnegan has been a reliable piece for several years, and if he were to come to the Cubs, he would be a versatile option who could be used all over the place. Look no further than his role last season, where he was not only a back-of-the-pen guy but also came away with 38 saves. He did that by walking 24 batters compared to 60 punchouts, as he could dominate hitters at times despite what his record showed. Finnegan may have been listed as the closer on the roster, which is evident by his 38 saves, but he also pitched multiple innings several times, as wins were tough to come by. Anytime your team is coming off a season in which your bullpen blows 27 saves, you're looking for anyone who could come in and help turn some of those save opportunities into wins, and Finnegan is one of those guys. His 38 saves were a career-high for him, as he now has 88 career saves since coming into the league. Prior to his 38 saves last season, Finnegan posted 28 saves in 2023 and 11 saves in each of the 2021 and 22 seasons. It wasn't until 2023 that he became a full-time closer, and since then, he has done a great job being one of the more overlooked closers in the game. No one will come out and say Finnegan is a lockdown or a top-flight closer, but he can help this team win. Should the Cubs show interest in him, there is an excellent chance that he would come into camp as one of the favorites to be the closer and would be given every opportunity to win that job in Spring. However, should he not earn the closer job, Finnegan is also versatile enough to fill other roles in the pen, including a set-up man, as he also has more than 70 holds to his name. Finnegan has also shown the ability to be a middle relief or even a long-relief option throughout his career, as his versatility on the mound is something the Cubs need and would love to have. When it comes to a contract, Finnegan is a bit older than you would like at 33 years old, but he was one of those late-arriving MLB players who took a while to make his debut. Now that the league has seen what he can do, you could see Finnegan land a one-year contract in the five or six-million range or even a potential two-year deal approaching 13 million.
