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The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets are locked in a race for the division crown, and Sports Illustrated’s Maddy Hudak urges the Phillies to trade inside the division to turn the tide of the battle for the National League East.
Hudak tagged Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan as the target the Phillies should home in on at the trade deadline.
Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
The Nationals are a rebuilding team, and Finnegan will be a free agent after this season, lining them up perfectly to bring in talent in return for their All-Star closer. Finnegan was an All-Star last season and is off to another fantastic start this season with a 2.25 ERA and 18 saves in 21 chances so far.
Finnegan would bring certainty to the back end of the Philadelphia bullpen, a group that has been among the league’s worst in ERA.
The Phillies brought in closer Jordan Romano from the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency this season, and he has been given 10 chances while saving eight. Romano has had his struggles, and the Phillies do not have a clear-cut ninth-inning man, a role that is relied on heavily in October.
While Finnegan does not immediately jump the Phillies into purebred title contenders, his presence in the back end of the bullpen could settle the group and bring them close to the major league average.
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