The Philadelphia Phillies have been struggling a little bit in recent weeks. They snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday night, but have areas of the roster that need some work.
One such area is the bullpen. They already needed some help, but losing Jose Alvarado to an 80-game PED suspension only made their need more urgent.
Relievers will be in high demand at the trade deadline. They'll certainly cost a haul of prospects.
Matt Grazel of FanSided proposed the idea of Philadelphia targeting right-hander Kyle Finnegan in a possible trade with the Washington Nationals.
"Finnegan would bolster the Phillies' bullpen with him and a more effective [Jordan] Romano in their setup and closer roles. Philadelphia will aim to improve its bullpen depth by the end of July, and trading for Washington's closer will certainly do that," Grazel wrote.
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Trades between division rivals are exceptionally rare, which makes this potentially a longshot.
However, it isn't impossible. If the Phillies offer up a solid haul of prospects to the Nationals that could help Washington sooner rather than later, a deal could be had.
If the 2024 trade deadline was any indication, rental relievers will certainly bring back a solid prospect or two for teams that are selling. Finnegan is in the final year of his contract, so trading him makes sense for the Nationals.
This season, the 33-year-old is 0-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 23 appearances and has recorded 18 saves. The right-hander was an All-Star last season.
Philadelphia could use a lockdown closer after the losses of Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman. Finnegan could provide them with what they are looking for.
We'll see if a deal can get done soon.
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