In 2010, Finnegan graduated from Kingwood High School in Texas, then accepted a baseball scholarship to Texas State, majoring in business.

During the summer of 2012, Kyle pitched for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League.

June 2013: The A's chose Finnegan in the 6th round, out of Texas State University. And he signed a week later for $200,000, via scout Armann Brown.

In 2014, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Kyle as the 16th-best prospect in the A's organization. He fell to # 25 in the spring of 2015.

Long-term goals don’t come with expiration dates. This June will mark seven years since right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan was selected by the A's in the sixth round of the 2013 Draft. In that time, the 28-year-old has appeared in 232 Minor League games . . . and none yet at the Major League level. Each season he’s on a 40-man roster represents a new opportunity to make that dream happen.

“I’m ready,” Finnegan said during Spring Training. “I’m ready to make that jump.”

Finnegan signed a Major League deal with the Nationals in December following his tenure in the A’s organization. His performance last season was the strongest of his career. He had a 3-2 record with a 2.31 ERA in 42 outings across the Double-A and Triple-A levels. It caught the attention of a Washington club, whose bullpen struggled during the 2019 regular season with a National League-worst 5.68 ERA.

“My decision to come here was, I was at the point in my career where I just wanted to go to the spot where I had the best chance,” Finnegan said. “I’m older for a Minor League player … I thought this was the best fit to try to make this happen.”

Finnegan knew it could be a long journey to reach the big stage. He transitioned from a starter to the bullpen in 2016, and he thought last spring might be his defining chance. It turned out to be another season in the Minors, but Finnegan morphed what he considers to be his hardest moment into a significant stepping stone.

“I had a conversation with our pitching coordinator over there in Oakland [during Spring Training], and he basically said, ‘As it looks right now on paper, we don’t really know if there’s a spot for you,’” Finnegan recalled. “I was kind of in that Triple-A limbo area where it was, ‘Do they use my spot for a younger guy coming up?’ I had great relationships with all those guys, so they could be totally honest with me. They mentioned, ‘Have you ever thought about changing your arm slot a little bit just to see what we can do?’ I had to look myself in the mirror. OK, here I was on the bubble of getting released, or whatever it may be. Why not give it a shot? Then, I had the best year of my career last year.”

The day of that conversation, Finnegan put the pitching alteration into motion. He had thrown over the top in the past, but he made the adjustment to lower his arm slot. The results: improved fastball movement and strike zone consistency. Finnegan tallied a career-best 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings, the most saves (14) in the A's Minor League system and a spot on the Texas League All-Star Team last season. 

“It just kind of clicked right away,” Finnegan said. Finnegan joined the Nationals for Spring Training, eager to experience a World Series-winning environment. He often could be seen sitting at his locker with a quiet smile on his face, his excitement apparent on a daily basis. Finnegan viewed it as his “first real chance” to make his Major League debut.

“You just keep your head down and go to work,” Finnegan said. “You just focus on executing all the things you have to do that day. You can’t really get caught up in, ‘Is there a spot for me? Will there be a spot for me?’ You can’t control that, so why even waste your energy thinking about it?”

Finnegan appeared in five games in Florida. He noticed early on he was getting back on his right heel, which led to a less-balanced stance, so he made a concerted effort to stand more on the ball of his foot. From that small change, he felt a greater sense of control. Finnegan posted threes across the board in hits, earned runs, walks and strikeouts over five innings, while holding opponents to a .167 batting average and recording a 5.40 ERA.

“We know what kind of stuff he has,” manager Dave Martinez said in mid-March. “He’s worked with pitching coach Paul Menhart on tweaking his mechanics a little bit. I saw him really use his legs and ... he was up in the upper 90s, topped 98, which was nice. He’s got a really good cutter and curveball. He looked really good.”

At the time Spring Training halted due to the coronavirus, the right-hander had made an impression on the Nats. On March 26, Finnegan, whose contract has options, was one of four players sent to Double-A Harrisburg. He remains in the running to compete for a roster spot, with an opportunity open following the release of fellow reliever Hunter Strickland. For all the years in the Minors and the moments that felt like “this could be it,” Finnegan has had a steadying force in his life amid the ups and downs. It’s part of the reason why his goal never feels that far out of reach, and it’s one worth continuing to chase.

“My family,” Finnegan said. “I have an 8-year-old daughter, Brayden. She’s getting to the age where she knows what’s going on. She thinks it’s so cool and she tells all her friends at school. I just want them to be able to enjoy this and obviously provide for them, and this is a great opportunity to do that.”  (Jessica Camerato - May 13, 2020)

2020 Season: Finnegan’s signing last winter didn’t generate a lot of attention, but the fact the Nationals were willing to sign a 28-year-old with zero major league experience to a big league contract suggested they were high on him. And by the end of the season, it was clear why they felt that way.

Though he toiled away in the Athletics’ farm system for years, Finnegan always had a good arm. The Nats were able to make the most of it, starting him out in lower-leverage situations but then gradually moving him into a higher-profile role as his performance merited it.

Ten appearances into his career, Finnegan still hadn’t allowed a run and had 10 strikeouts against only two walks. He endured through a brief bump in the road in midseason, getting scored upon in four of seven outings. But he finished strong, with eight consecutive scoreless appearances while moving into a more prominent role as others in the bullpen were lost to injury or ineffectiveness.

What made Finnegan successful this year? He was able to get ahead of the count with his fastball, then use his off-speed pitches to put away hitters. Against righties, he went to his slider, which opponents hit at a paltry .143/.129/.190 clip. Against lefties, he utilized his changeup, which was even more effective (.100/.113/.100).

Durability will be an issue as Finnegan tries to prove he can hold up through the rigors of a full, 162-game season. But the deeper the Nationals bullpen is, the less manager Davey Martinez will need to rely on Finnegan and company, and the less likely they’ll be to suffer injury. (Mark Zuckerman - October 23, 2020)

March 4, 2021:  Amid a crowd of blue and orange, two red and white jerseys stood out. Their eyes were glued to a group of pitchers warming up in right field at Clover Park. Turns out, they weren’t just Nationals fans. They were Nationals family.

Kyle’s father, Willy, his father’s girlfriend, Kirsten, his aunt, Kathy, and uncle, Eddie, were on hand to watch Kyle start against the Mets. Kyle had pitched in Spring Training games in previous years, but he was a Minor Leaguer back then, chasing his big league dreams. He achieved that goal last season when he made his Major League debut on July 25 as a 28-year-old rookie.

“Last year was fun, but it was really stressful because we all love our kids,” Willy said. “To go to Yankee Stadium or to go to the Nats Yard and see them, that would be like a dream true. He gets into the big leagues, and it’s COVID lockdown. So it was stressful.”

The next spring, Kyle returned to Nationals camp having established himself as a reliable reliever. Willy flew from Houston to attend the game in Port St. Lucie, where Kyle got the nod after Jon Lester was taken out of the starting lineup to undergo thyroid gland removal surgery. When Willy watched Kyle take the mound this time, he had 24 2/3 innings of Major League experience on his resume.

“It’s exciting, but I still get nervous,” Willy said. “After 62 years, it just doesn’t change.”

Kyle threw 12 pitches (eight strikes) in one inning, allowing a leadoff home run to Brandon Nimmo before retiring the next three batters in the Nationals' 8-4 loss to the Mets. (J Camerato - MLB.com - March 4, 2021) 

Aug 31-Sept 3, 2021: Kyle was on the paternity list.

June 18, 2023: During the season, late-inning reliever Kyle Finnegan closes out baseball games. In the offseason, father of three Kyle Finnegan carpools from soccer practice.

“Baseball’s what I do, it’s not who I am,” Finnegan said. “I’m a dad and a husband. It’s easy [to switch modes]. I look forward to it.”

When Finnegan, 31, made his hometown debut at Minute Maid Park in Houston, his massive cheering section included his 11-year-old daughter, Brayden, and teammates from her soccer team. He hosted the group during batting practice, where they wore matching blue t-shirts that read “Finnegan drives my carpool.” (Brayden donned her Nationals gear.) 

 “It’s been something cool to allow her to have that experience,” Finnegan said. “She’s been great with her friends, kind of bringing them in on what it’s like a little bit. It’s been really fun.”

Finnegan’s schedule stays busy when the baseball season ends. Soccer practice is held three to four nights a week, and it runs later when there is strength and agility training, too. Those evenings, Finnegan has an important task to complete before pickup from practice.

“We’ve got a little rotation with the moms, and I get in there and do my days,” Finnegan said. “Their soccer schedule is crazy. There are nights where they don’t have time to eat dinner. So, you show up, you pick them up with Chick-fil-A, and they eat in the car on the way home so they can get to bed.”

Finnegan appreciates Brayden’s dedication to soccer. He was a huge sports fan growing up and she is, too. Now, Finnegan gets to share that passion with her as his profession.

“It’s special because I remember as a kid how obsessed I was with sports,” Finnegan said. “I didn’t know what the daily life is like and what it’s like to be a professional athlete, so to show her around -- she plays sports, too, and loves sports, so she’s kind of getting that behind-the-scenes look, which is really cool.”

There also are lessons Finnegan hopes his daughter learns from his journey as a pro athlete. Drafted by the Athletics in 2013, Finnegan worked his way through the Minor Leagues until he made his Major League debut in 2020 with the Nationals.

“She knows all the work that I put in the offseason and at home and how stressful it can be at times, and that it all pays off when the game starts and you get to enjoy it and go play a game for a living,” he said. “I hope she learns that it takes hard work to get here, but if you put in the work, then it pays off.”

This week was a precursor to Finnegan’s Father’s Day celebration. Finnegan had not seen his family for about a month, and he was able to stay at home with them during the Houston road series. Now that the school year is over, his wife and children (they also have 21-month-old twins) are joining him in Washington, D.C., for the summer. (J Camerato - MLB.com - June 18, 2023)

July 2024: Finnegan was chosen to replace Cardinals pitcher Ryan Hesley on the National League squad at the MLB All-Star Game.

Mothers Day Reflection: Kyle grinded for seven seasons in the Minor Leagues. As his journey took ups and downs through the Athletics organization, he had a grounding support.

His wife, Rachel, rooted their family, built her own career in human resources and encouraged Finnegan to reach his dream -- his Major League debut with the Nationals in 2020 at age 28.

“She's the superstar,” Finnegan said on Mother’s Day weekend. “I don't know that I would have been able to play as long as I did without her.”

Kyle and Rachel attended the same schools from elementary through college. Kyle recalled how Rachel, a grade ahead of him, was a two-time student-athlete of the year in middle school.

“I never won it, so she’s got that on me,” Finnegan said with a smile. “We actually found out a couple weeks ago that our daughter was nominated for student-athlete of the year, so she’s following in her mom’s footsteps.”  It wasn’t until their time at Texas State University that Kyle and Rachel began hanging out.

“I had my eye on her, but she wasn’t giving me a chance,” Kyle said. “So I was playing the long game.”

The Finnegans are now a family of five, with a 13-year-old and 3 1/2-year-old twins. Kyle is in awe of how his wife keeps everything running smoothly while he is playing a full baseball season.

“She's the most giving person I've ever known,” said Finnegan. “She puts everybody else's needs before hers -- sometimes too much. I tell her all the time, she needs to be more selfish and do things for herself. But she loves being together as a family. She makes every day special for the kids, which is hard to do.”  (J Camerato - MLB.com - May 11, 2025)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2013: The A's chose Finnegan in the 6th round, out of Texas State University in San Marcos. And he signed for $200,000, via scout Armann Brown.

Dec 8, 2019: The Nationals signed free agent Finnegan.

Jan 13, 2023: The Nats and Finnegan avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.2 million.

Jan 11, 2024: The Nats agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal with Kyle, avoiding arbitration.

Nov 22, 2024: Kyle chose free agency after being non-tendered by the Nats.

Feb. 26, 2025: The Nationals re-signed Kyle to a one-year deal. The deal is for $6 million.

Finnegan has a 92-97 mph 4-seam FASTBALL with good arm-side run, a good 90-94 mph 2-seam sinker, an improving CURVEBALL, a SLIDER, and a good CHANGEUP.

Finnegan barely used his changeup in college, but it has improved to the point where it has overtaken his curve as his best secondary pitch. His changeup has nice, late sinking action and he'll use it in any count.

Kyle moved from the rotation to the bullpen in 2016. And he saw the benefit right away.

“I’ve always been the type of player where I wanted to do whatever the coaches asked of me,” Finnegan said. “I always knew that (relieving) would probably be my end game to move to the big leagues.

“I’m a little out of the mold of big league starters. I’m kind of a max-effort guy . . . and I give everything to every pitch I have.”

2020 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam 70.4% of the time; Slider 20.5%; and his Split 9.1% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 95.5 mph, Slider 87.6, and Split 87.4 mph.

2022 Season Pitch Usage/Avg. Velo: Fastball 78.5% - 97 mph; Slider 12% - 89 mph; Split 9.3% - 88.6 mph.

2024 Season Pitch Usage/Avg. Velo: Fastball 67.4% - 97.4 mph; Slider 5.7% - 85.3 mph; Split 27% - 88.7  mph.

Kyle has a three-quarters arm slot. He had a long stride that made it hard for him to finish, hindering his command when he turned pro in 2013, but the A's shortened up his delivery right after signing him. So he started throwing more strikes.

The A's got rid of the violent leap he'd make, driving himself off the mound and jumping toward the plate.

“I really got off the mound a lot,” the righthander said. “It was great for my velocity, but it really plagued my consistency and strike-throwing ability.”

So when Finnegan joined the Athletics in 2013, the first thing pitching coordinator Scott Emerson and his staff had to do was shorten his stride and get his motion under control. He had been striding seven-and-a-half feet, with the leap. The A’s cut about a foot off the stride, and he began repeating his delivery and finding the strike zone.

"We worked on calming down my mechanics,” he said. “Control that aggression. I had almost an instant correction in the repeatability of my mechanics. I’m still continuing to get better almost every day.”

He has very good command of his pitches. He pitches aggressively to both sides of the plate.

In 2016, Finnegan made the move from starter to reliever. And the new role fit Kyle well.

Kyle needed somewhere to pitch during the offseason. One option was spending four hours each day going to and from a facility in the Houston area, but that would take him away from the family he had already been missing all season. Another option: build his own at-home training setup.

Finnegan did the latter option and has since upgraded to a horse stall mat from a tractor supply store to throw off for his third edition of the backyard mound. This offseason he purchased a Rapsodo machine, built his own version of a Pitcher’s Pocket out of lead plumbing pipes and insulation, and strung a net between two trees for long toss to warm up.

The backyard setup has become a place for Finnegan to spend time with his wife and their three children while he works in the offseason. He also has flood lights on his house so he can throw in the evenings, which allows him to catch his daughter’s soccer games on Saturdays and still put in work at night.

Finnegan’s pro pitching setup comes years after he began experimenting with carpentry to build furniture for his home, including a coffee table, a console table and a mudroom bench. The coffee table from his Minor League days even made its way to his current home. (J Camerato - MLB.com - April 27, 2022)

In 2022 for the Nationals, Finnegan had 6 wins and 11 saves in 66 games.

2022 Season: There was interest in Kyle Finnegan at the trade deadline, but in the end, Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo decided to hold on to the hard-throwing, controllable, 31-year-old reliever.

“There was a lot of interest,” in Finnegan, Carl Edwards, Jr., and others Rizzo said, “… but not to the point where you give away a good late-inning guy like Finnegan if you don’t like the prospect return, and you can control him for multiple years. So that’s always the decision process that you make.”

Finnegan went on to post a 3.51 ERA, a 3.15 FIP, nine walks, 26 strikeouts, and a .213/.282/.340 line against in 24 games and 25 2⁄3 innings pitched down the stretch, with seven saves in eight save opportunities over the final two months of a season which saw him post a 3.51 ERA, a 3.76 FIP, 22 walks, 70 Ks, and a .221/.284/.381 line against in 66 games and 66 2⁄3 IP overall, with 11 saves in 15 total opportunities on the year.

Finnegan closed out games before and after Tanner Rainey went on the IL, and he got late-inning opportunities once Rainey underwent Tommy John surgery.

Following a particularly rough outing in September, Finnegan’s manager talked with reporters about what went wrong for the right-hander, who got lit up for four hits, two walks, and five earned runs in just 2⁄3 of an inning in that appearance.

“‘Hey, some days — when you close games, some days go well, some don’t,’” Martinez said of his message for the reliever after an outing like that one. “The biggest thing for me is that you’ve got to come in there, up four runs, and you’ve got to pound the strike zone. The walks are going to get you.”

A couple weeks later, after Finnegan K’d three batters in a 14-pitch, 1-2-3 inning, his manager talked about what’s different when things are going well for the late-inning arm.

“He was electric, he really was. I mean, his ball had that extra giddy-up at the end, he was attacking the hitters, and when he gets ahead of hitters, he can do that kind of stuff, so it was a good outing for him.”

Finnegan threw 78.8% sinkers on the year, averaging 97 MPH on the pitch, against which opposing hitters had a .217 BAA. He mixed in 12.2% sliders (.280 BAA), and 9.0% split finger fastballs (.200 BAA).

The 78.8% sinkers was actually up from the 68.4% he threw in 2021, and 70.2% he’d thrown in his first big league season after signing with the Nationals on a big league deal prior to 2020, following seven seasons in the Oakland A’s system, in which he never got a shot in the major leagues.

The career-high in sinkers, of course, came in a season which began with the reliever saying he was determined to throw fewer sinking fastballs.

“I think I was able to use my fastball a lot, more so than most other people’s pitch mixes,” Finnegan said in his first press availability of the season from the Nationals’ spring home in March 2022.

“To be able to be fastball-heavy in a league that hits the fastball very well, and still have some success was good, but I definitely want to work on my off-speed, and use it more, throwing both off-speed pitches, the splitter and the slider, to both right-handed and left-handed [hitters] and start to locate it more, throwing sliders for strikes, not just swing and miss, and then using that to complement the fastball approach.”

“It’s something — I think talking with our analytics team it’s a pitch that maybe plays better than my usage,” Finnegan said of his splitter last spring, “so maybe kind of nudge myself in that direction to use it a little more and see if I can get some more success and get people off the fastball, because that’s my go-to pitch.

“So, giving them something else to think about will help the fastball.”

His slider usage actually dropped from 19.4% to 12.2%. And his splitter usage fell as well, from 12.2 to 9.0%.  (Patrick Reddington@federalbaseball - Nov 4, 2022)

2023 Season: Finnegan served as the Nats’ closer for most of the season, with mixed results. The good: Finnegan recorded 28 saves, the best mark by a Nationals pitcher since Sean Doolittle saved 29 in 2019. The bad: Finnegan also blew eight saves and had a 4.09 ERA in the ninth inning, which wasn’t much bettered by his 3.93 ERA in the eighth inning.

The Nats need Finnegan to miss more bats to stick as a high-leverage reliever — he averaged under a strikeout per inning this year, which is perfectly fine for a middle reliever but underwhelming for a closer — and they need to see him at his best when it’s crunch time.

In September and October, Finnegan allowed a 1.012 OPS against and recorded an 8.44 ERA, a late-season swoon that was ill-timed for him as the Nats consider their late-inning options in 2024, with the return of Tanner Rainey from Tommy John surgery and Hunter Harvey from a less serious injury. (Oct 13, 2023 - SaoMagnifico)

In 2023, Finnegan was a lockdown closer for the Nats and a hard thrower. He averaged 97.3 mph on his fastball.  

Congratulations to Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan, the first pitcher in history to let a game end by forgetting to throw a pitch until after the pitch clock ticked to zero. (Stark - Jun 28, 2024 - The Athletic)

July 15, 2024: In the first half of the season, Finnegan ranked second in saves among all NL relievers (25 out of 29 opportunities). He posted a 2.45 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and a .190 opponents’ batting average in 40 1/3 innings.

Finnegan delivered 11 no-hit frames from April 13-May 8, recording the second-longest hitless streak in team history (2005-present). Only Max Scherzer had a longer streak as a member of the Nationals in 2015 (16 innings, June 14-26). During that stretch, Finnegan was 8-for-8 in save opportunities while holding opponents 0-for-32 with 11 strikeouts and three walks. (J Camerato - MLB.com - July 15, 2024)

2024 Season: Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan did his job in 2024. In save situations, he pitched to a 2.08 ERA, held opposing batters to a .224/.615 slash line, and earned 38 saves — second-most in the National League and third in MLB. He made the All-Star roster for the first time in his career. Overall, Finnegan is the picture of consistency, with 2024 results that closely mirror his career numbers: a 3.68 ERA (3.56 career), a 22.1% strikeout rate (23.5% career), an 8.9% walk rate (9.5% career), a .715 OPS against (.711 career).

So, why am I not giving Finnegan an A grade? He did his job. He was the same pitcher he’s always been. 

In 2024, Finnegan seemed to need the unique adrenaline of a save opportunity to have any success. That’s not an exaggeration: His 7.08 ERA in non-save situations, which accounted for 22 of his 65 appearances, stands a whopping five runs higher than his ERA when he was called upon to “do his job” and close out ballgames.

Opposing batters whacked him for a .298/.903 slash line in those non-save situations. One of those dreaded non-save appearances on July 29 conceivably cost the Nats an opportunity to flip Finnegan for prospects at the trade deadline, as he gave up five earned runs to get walked off in Arizona, after entering the ninth to protect a four-run lead.

Finnegan isn’t the first or only closer known to struggle when a save opportunity isn’t available to him. But those struggles were especially pronounced on a team that didn’t do a whole lot of winning in 2024. Finnegan did his job, yes — but he didn’t go above and beyond the call of duty. And that’s what A grades are for.  (Oct 12, 2024 - SaoMagnifico)

Finnegan had a 4.38 ERA with the Nationals this season, but after coming to Detroit and aiding the Tigers in their postseason push, he posted a 1.50 ERA in 16 outings for the Tigers.

Finnegan had four saves and three wins across 18 innings pitched with 23 strikeouts and only four walks allowed. In the playoffs, he had a 3.86 ERA in six games for Detroit across 7.1 innings pitched.

More: Tigers' Tarik Skubal joins elite company with stellar outing, but not enough to beat Mariners

He was one of the best relievers in Detroit this season and was easily the best trade deadline pickup the Tigers made this season. (Matt Sullivan -
October 11, 2025 - The Sporting News)

July 10-17, 2014: Finnegan was on the D.L.

May 12-June 23, 2018: Kyle was on the D.L.

May 2019: Finnegan was on the IL most of the month.

June 21-July 6, 2021: Kyle was on the IL with a left hammy strain.