The Chicago Cubs, early in the offseason, declared themselves to be “all in” when it came to making the playoffs in 2025.
And while that could’ve been blown off at the time as promotional bluster to help hype sales and the profile of the team, it has to be the absolute truth now as this current squad has shown signs of being something special.
That means the Cubs front office will have to work hard to fill the team’s roster holes by the trade deadline and address overall weaknesses.
Specifically, the team needs pitching– both in the starting rotation and the bullpen.
While a front-of-rotation starter will (and must) be pursued, there’s also a significant need for a true shutdown closer.
The Chicago Cubs Need A Closer
Veteran Ryan Pressly, who was brought over from the Houston Astros via offseason trade, doesn’t look likely to regain closer form, despite now logging 6 appearances without an earned run since his disastrous 8-run collapse against the San Francisco Giants on May 6.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Porter Hodge, who was thought to be the insurance police to a Pressly in decline, currently sits on the IL, nursing an oblique issue.
With that in mind, the Cubs are being urged to pursue another closer by the trade deadline in their push for postseason play.
All of this is a bit reminiscent of the 2016 World Series Cubs who, also seeing holes in the back end of their bullpen, went out and spent some serious trade capital in acquiring elite closer Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees and veteran setup man Joe Smith from the California Angels.
The bold moves obviously paid off.
Kyle Finnegan: A Perfect Fit?
Rich Eberwein of Cubbies Crib sees the Washington Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan as a perfect fit for the current Cubs’ needs.
Per Eberwein:
“Kyle Finnegan has been the closer for the Washington Nationals for the better part of four seasons and he’s a guy that would fit perfectly with the Cubs. The main part of Finnegan’s story since breaking into the league in 2020 is durability. The 33-year-old has four straight seasons of logging at least 63 innings pitched with a sub-4.00 ERA under his belt. In that time, he has also collected 103 saves and 39 holds in a Nationals uniform.
This year has been no different. Through his first 19 appearances, Finnegan owns a 2.41 ERA, and he is tied for second in the league with 15 saves. His fastball has averaged around 96 mph in velocity and although he isn’t striking out a ton of hitters (21.5 K rate), he is limiting hard contact and inducing groundballs (45.5% K rate) which would play with the Cubs’ elite defense.
Finnegan is only signed to a one-year contract and the Nationals have a very limited path to the playoffs with the Mets, Phillies, and Braves in their division. Finnegan will almost certainly get moved at the deadline and he would give Chicago a proven closer for the playoff push.”
The Cubs Had Considered Finnegan Before
This wouldn’t be the first time that Finnegan was tied to the Cubs. Back in December, it was reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN that the Cubs had expressed interest in the veteran reliever, who had become a free agent when the Nationals opted to non-tender him in his final year of arbitration eligibility.
Finnegan would end up re-signing with the Nationals on a one-year, $6 million deal.
The 33-year-old has the ability and the track record to be a significant down-the-stretch asset for Chicago and, hopefully, an asset deep into the playoffs as well. Also, a half-year of Finnegan would probably not require all that much in return. So, the Cubs could still go after a high-end starter for their rotation.
Finnegan to the Cubs is certainly an idea worth exploring (again).
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