The Chicago Cubs are still in need of a closer to look down the ninth inning and Kyle Finnegan would be a perfect option.
The Chicago Cubs have done well so far this off season with the biggest move being trading for outfielder Kyle Tucker. However, the Cubs still have some holes to fill in order to make this roster complete. One of those holes needing to be looked at is who will be the team’s Closer in 2025. Last season for the Cubs Héctor Neris lead the team in saves with 17 followed by current Cubs reliever Porter Hodge who FanGraphs projects to be the teams closer for 2025.
Internal Options for the Closer Role
As I stated FanGraphs currently projects Porter Hodge to be the internal solution the Chicago Cubs turn to to take down the ninth inning. The soon to be 24-year-old Hodge who will turn 24 in February, would be a solid choice to fill the closer role with nine saves already under his belt. In his first season in the Major Leagues Hodge had a stellar season, in 39 games (43 innings pitched) Hodge had a 1.88 ERA, 9 saves, and 52 strikeouts.
Hodge if he wasn’t the closer for the Cubs would still be a solid late inning reliever proving he is more than capable of fulfilling the job. In 16 games (14.2 innings) where he appeared in the eighth inning Hodge has a 3.07 ERA with 17 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .208 average. For the ninth inning he’s even better where he has a 21 strikeouts, held opponents to a .085 average, and had a 1.26 ERA in 15 games (14.1 innings pitched).
Why the Chicago Cubs should sign Kyle Finnegan
“The Nationals could bump lefty Jose A. Ferrer, who showed late-inning potential last season, into the closer role or pursue options in free agency and the trade market.”
Also set to make $8.6 million in his final year of arbitration according to MLB Trade Rumors, the Nationals weren’t going to pay Finnegan when there was an internal option available. Finnegan in his five-year career with the Washington Nationals accumulated a record of 22-26 with an ERA of 3.56 in 291 games (290.1 innings pitched), with 88 career saves, and was named to his first All-Star team in 2024.
Signing Kyle Finnegan to be a stop gap while Porter Hodge settles in and gets more innings under his belt would be the best thing for the Cubs to do. With Finnegan’s experience with closing he could be the perfect mentor to help Hodge navigate the late innings in what will be his sophomore season. Both could figure to swing between the eighth and ninth innings giving the Cubs a solid back-inning tandem.
With MLB Trade Rumors estimating Finnegan to make $8.6 million for this season I think with giving him a deal similar to that of the Pittsburg Pirates closer David Bednar who signed a one-year $5.8 million deal for 2025 and who had a worse season than Finnegan did in 2024. Slightly less than what he would’ve gotten, but I think giving Kyle Finnegan a deal similar to that gets the jobs done.
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