The New York Yankees will look to add some bullpen help in free agency and could pursue a former All-Star.
Devin Williams is a free agent and could leave, leaving an opening at the backend of the Yankees bullpen. Insider Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors predicts the Yankees will sign Kyle Finnegan to a two-year, $20 million deal to help solidify the bullpen.
“Finnegan didn’t miss many bats in the postseason but was clearly one of A.J. Hinch’s most trusted relievers both in the regular season and in the playoffs,” Franco wrote. “Finnegan has been good for a mid-3.00s ERA every season dating back to 2021. But fielding-independent metrics have never fully bought into the skill set. Other clubs around the league perhaps agreed for a while. He wasn’t traded at the 2023 or 2024 deadlines, even with the Nats rebuilding.
“This Tigers run has the makings of something more enticing. However, and it could lead to the first multi-year deal of the righty’s career. Finnegan will pitch next season at 34, so he’s unlikely to command more than two years, but he should do a lot better than a deferred $6MM this time around.”
Finnegan was an All-Star in 2024 but struggled in the second half of the season, leaving him to be non-tendered, but he was later re-signed. The reliever showed how effective he can be in a set-up man role for the Tigers, as he had plenty of success in the playoffs, which should help bolster his suitors.
With the Yankees, Finnegan would join the backend of the bullpen featuring David Bednar and Camilo Doval.
Yankees Added Bullpen Help at Deadline
New York’s bullpen was one of the main issues last season, and the Yankees tried to address it at the deadline.
The Yankees acquired Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Doval from the San Francisco Giants, who will be the closer and set-up man in 2026.
Boone felt like adding those two helped solidify the Yankees’ bullpen and give him options, which he wants out of his bullpen.
“Where we’ve really struggled over the last month and a half or two is, when we had a couple of guys go down, then all of a sudden guys are in roles and parts of the lineup where they’re not set up to be the most successful,” Boone said.
Although New York did make bold moves to acquire relievers, the Yankees’ bullpen did struggle in the playoffs.
Finnegan Open to Returning to Tigers
Detroit acquired Finnegan at the deadline to add some relief help for the playoff run.
Although he was only in Detroit for a brief time, he made it clear he would like to return.
“I loved every second of my time here,” said Finnegan. “Hopefully, the feeling is mutual. We’ll head into free agency and see what that has in store for me. But I can’t say enough good things about the Tigers.”
Finnegan went 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 56 games last season. In the postseason, he went 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in 6 games with the Tigers.
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