December 20: Detroit has officially announced Finnegan’s deal. He will earn $8.75MM in 2026 and $8MM in 2027. The contract also includes a 2028 co-op option for $10MM, and a $2.25MM buyout. Justin-Henry Malloy he was selected for assignment to open a spot on Finnegan’s 40-man roster.
December 9: It is reported that the Tigers will return with a veteran reliever Kyle Finnegan on a two-year, $19MM contract. There is also $1MM in bonuses available for Warner Sports Management clients. Detroit’s 40-man roster is full, meaning they’ll need to make a corresponding move once the contract is up.
It’s yet another domino to fall in the fast-moving aid market. Detroit originally acquired Finnegan from the Nationals at the trade deadline. He carried a 4.38 earned run average with a strikeout rate of less than 20% during that time. Frankly, it seemed uncomfortable with the team’s big capital being taken away. The Tigers correctly identified Finnegan as a player who had another level of upside and change in his pitch mix, however.
In Washington, Finnegan had thrown his fastball about two-thirds of the time. He used his separator at a clip of about 30% and usually mixed in the slide. The Tigers encouraged him to significantly increase the use of the cross-finger donation. It was almost a 50-50 split in August, and he used the split more than 55% of the time in September and the postseason. The impact on his results was immediate.
Finnegan allowed just three runs in 16 regular season innings as a Tiger. He fanned 23 of 66 opponents, nearly doubling his first-season strikeout rate. His strike rate jumped by five percent. The righty made four saves and three shutouts while giving up just one run. He missed a few weeks in September with a groin strain but quickly returned to captain AJ Hinch’s senior role. Finnegan added 7 1/3 frames of three-run ball in the postseason, though there were only three hits.
Between the two teams, Finnegan posted a 3.47 ERA with a 24% strikeout percentage in 57 innings. The overall numbers aren’t too far off the marks he had in the first five seasons of his career. Finnegan entered 2025 with a 3.56 earned run average and a 23.5% slugging average in nearly 300 big league outings.
A change of pitch and a strong finish to the season have changed teams’ opinions of him. This time last season, Finnegan found himself non-tendered by the Nationals in lieu of an estimated $8MM in arbitration salary. He waited until a week into Spring Training to return to Washington on a deferred $6MM contract. Finnegan signed the first multi-year contract of his career one season later. Terms are subject to MLBTR projections for two years and $20MM.
Finnegan will be paired with it again The Will Vest behind Hinch’s barn. He has plenty of closing experience from his time in Washington and was able to handle the ninth inning on days when the Tigers used Vest early in development situations. Detroit can afford to bring in another swing-and-miss arm in the back end. Even after getting Finnegan, the Tiger bullpen ranked 25th in strikeout rate. Thinking they are building Troy Melton back as a starter, Finnegan and Vest are their only two shortstops projected to sit around 96 MPH on average. They’re a little light from the left side, but Vest and Finnegan each excel against opposite-handed hitters. That would allow them to pursue another right and stick around Tyler Holton again Brent Hurter like their southern feet.
Specific salary breakdowns are not reported. The evenly distributed salaries of $9.5MM would push Detroit’s projected salary cap to around $157MM, according to RosterResource. That’s about $15MM north of where they opened this past season. Long term books are still wide open. Javier Baez again Colt Keith they are the only other players under contract until 2027. Keith’s $5MM salary for 2028-29 and a low buyout option for 2030 are the only commitments after the ’27 campaign.
Edwin Díaz, Gregory Soto and Finnegan left the board on Tuesday. Robert Suarez, Brad Keller, Luke Weaver, Tyler Rogers, Seranthony Domínguez again Pete Fairbanks are the remaining undrafted free agents who made MLBTR’s Top 50. Keller and Weaver could be considered starters, while Rogers and Domínguez are setup types. Suarez is the best free agent available. Fairbanks and Kenley Jansen join them as unsigned closes.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the Tigers and Finnegan were nearing an agreement. FanSided’s Robert Murray had a two-year, $19MM deal with a $1MM bonus. Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images.
