The Washington Nationals made headlines this week by agreeing to terms with right-handed pitcher Kyle Finnegan on a one-year contract. The announcement, made by Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo on February 27, 2025, marked Finnegan's return to the team after his impressive performance last season.
Finnegan, who was named a National League All-Star in 2024, ranked third in Major League Baseball for saves, successfully closing out 38 games. His achievements placed him fourth for the most saves in a season for the Nationals since their inception. He ended the year boasting a 3.68 ERA and 60 strikeouts across 63.2 innings pitched, which included a remarkable 11.0-inning hitless streak from April 13 to May 8. This streak stands as the second-longest hitless streak in the franchise’s history.
Since the start of the 2021 season, Finnegan's 266 relief outings tie him for sixth-most in Major League Baseball, with his 88 saves ranking ninth overall. Interestingly, Finnegan is the only pitcher during this period to have saved at least 70 games and also collected 35 holds. His tenure with the Nationals began after he signed as a free agent from the Oakland Athletics’ organization in December 2019. Over his five seasons with the team, Finnegan has delivered 291 appearances as well as 88 career saves—placing him third on the Nationals all-time saves leader list.
Adding to his stellar reputation, Finnegan has been awarded Nationals Pitcher of the Year by the D.C. Media three times (2022, 2023, and 2024). Originally selected by the Athletics during the sixth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas State University, the Detroit native is eager to continue contributing to the team's success.
Meanwhile, Mozilla, the organization behind Firefox, also made news with updates to its Terms of Use, aiming to clarify its commitment to user privacy. This announcement has raised eyebrows among website users, many of whom expressed confusion over the revised language. One of the most contentious points involves users granting Mozilla a “nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license” to use information inputted through the browser.
Critics quickly reacted, raising concerns about how the new terms may blurr the lines governing user data. Accusations of Mozilla adopting terminology reminiscent of practices associated with larger tech companies flooded social media platforms.
The conflicting perspectives on Mozilla’s updated Terms reflect concerns about user data rights. Comments from frustrated users indicated they felt the new terms undermined the open-source nature the organization stands for, worrying they could lead to increased surveillance or misuse of personal information.
Mozilla has since sought to address these concerns proactively. A new statement from the company emphasized: "We’ve seen a little confusion about the language… we want to clear this up. We need licensing to allow us to make some of the basic functionalities of Firefox possible. Without it, we couldn’t use information typed-into Firefox, for example. It does NOT give us ownership of your data or the right to use it for anything other than what is described in the Privacy Notice." This reassurance aims to clarify the organization’s intentions toward user data, stating their motivation as helping users more efficiently navigate online content they engage with.
Mozilla insisted these new terms only apply to the official version of Firefox, which some see as creating a divide between the software’s source code and user experience. By reiteratively emphasizing their commitment to user privacy, they aim to restore trust within their user community.
Both the Nationals and Mozilla are adapting to changes within their respective environments; the Nationals are strengthening their on-field strategy by bringing back Finnegan, and Mozilla is enforcing transparency with their user base amid the ever-evolving digital privacy discussion. These developments highlight the necessity for both organizations to clearly communicate their moves and intentions, especially as they navigate the challenges presented by industries marked by performance expectations and data protection.
With the Nationals position on solidifying their pitching and Mozilla tackling issues tied to user trust and data security, these narratives serve as pertinent reminders of how organizations respond not just to demands within their industries, but also to the expectations set by their communities.