Alex Anthopoulos has been working tirelessly to perfectly polish off the Braves roster ahead of the 2025 season. After adding Jurickson Profar to the starting outfield mix, most around Braves camp have been pushing for AA to add to the pitching depth.
The Atlanta Braves tied with the Seattle Mariners for the best team ERA (3.49) in baseball last season. They also had the best team mark in average exit velocity (87.8 mph) in 2024. However, both the starting rotation and bullpen need to replace a lot of production from last season. Big names like Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and A.J. Minter will be pitching elsewhere in 2025, so it's up to AA to find suitable replacements for those beloved veterans.
As the spring nears the search for pitching continues, and there's still a few names that make sense for Atlanta. Interestingly, one former NL East arm could be an intriguing option to add to the current slate of bullpen arms Atlanta has.
Hard-throwing Kyle Finnegan could add a different element to the Braves bullpen
Longtime Washington National Kyle Finnegan has pitched many of outings against the Atlanta Braves. Fans should know him pretty well by now. He's a 33 year-old RHP who can light up the radar gun. Last season Finnegan's fastball averaged 97.2 mph. Since his first full 162 games season in 2021, Finnegan has posted an ERA in the 3's. Although, his ERA has outperformed his FIP in every season of his career.
Like most bullpen arms he is primarily a two-pitch pitcher leaning on his heavy fastball and splitter combination. Finnegan has served as the closer for a rebuilding Nationals team each of the past two seasons. Last year he earned his first All-Star game nomination, and finished the year with a 3.68 ERA and 4.25 FIP across 63.2 innings.
Kyle Finnegan recorded a career high in saves for the @Nationals in 2024 AND made his first All-Star Game! 👏 pic.twitter.com/5oJAuc3sjg
— MLB (@MLB) November 9, 2024
The cost for the Braves wouldn't be that steep, as Finnegan is a guy that was non-tendered earlier this offseason by the Nationals. He figures to land a one-year deal in the $4-7 million range, and the Braves should be near the front of the line to bring him in at that price.
The current mix of Atlanta's bullpen offers some variety and a couple trusted left-handed options for manager Brian Snitker to work with. However, outside of closer Raisel Iglesias and Pierce Johnson (who struggled in the second half) the Braves don't have that trustworthy right-handed option after Joe Jimenez went down with his knee injury.
Finnegan would be a high-upside play for that role. And moving him out of the closer spot could spell more success for him in 2025. Relievers are typically easier to find as spring training progresses, but adding Finnegan could ease a lot of worry for Braves fans everywhere.