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The Washington Nationals declined to tender contracts to relievers Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey — two of the longest-tenured players on the roster — ahead of Friday night’s deadline. Both are now free agents.

The Nationals did tender contracts to their five remaining arbitration-eligible players — pitchers Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Derek Law along with second baseman Luis García Jr. and catcher Riley Adams. The moves left the team’s 40-man roster at 36.

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A tendered contract leaves negotiations open for next season. The sides have until Jan. 9 to file a salary figure for arbitration if they haven’t agreed on a contract, though they can negotiate until a court date.

The decision to non-tender Finnegan, who blossomed into one of Manager Dave Martinez’s most valued relievers after he signed with the Nationals in 2020, was a bit surprising. He improved each year, culminating in his first all-star appearance in 2024. His 38 saves were third in the majors, and he ranks eighth on the Nationals’ career saves list with 88.

The move appears to be fueled by both finances and performance, however. The 33-year-old earned $5.1 million in arbitration last season and is expected to get another increase in salary. But he had a 5.79 ERA in the second half of the season compared with a 2.45 mark in the first. Finnegan is also susceptible to hard contact — opponents’ average exit velocity was 91.3 mph, which is in the first percentile among pitchers.

Still, the decision to non-tender Finnegan gives rise to the question of why the team didn’t move him during one of the past two trade deadlines. Now he will leave without anything in return.

Finnegan began closing games regularly after Rainey — the team’s closer in 2022 — suffered a right ulnar collateral ligament sprain in July of that year that required Tommy John surgery. Rainey made one appearance in 2023. In 2024, he remained on the roster the whole season but struggled and never regained his velocity following surgery. He had a 4.76 ERA in 50 appearances. His departure means there are no players from the Nationals’ 2019 World Series team left on the roster.

Their departures leaves Law as the only reliever over 30 on the roster, making it possible the Nationals target veteran relievers this winter to shore up the bullpen.

One reinforcement came into the fold Thursday, when reliever Mason Thompson agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. Thompson, in his first year of arbitration eligibility, is coming off Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss all of last season.

Northwestern University, BS in journalism and BA in African American studies

Andrew Golden covers the Washington Nationals for the Washington Post after previously assisting on the Commanders beat and sports breaking news team. Andrew started at the Post as an intern in 2021. 


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