The Guardians added one more bat before Monday’s trade deadline, landing veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Reds in a deal that sent minor league right-hander Alejandro Rivera to Cincinnati.
Lowe, 31, arrives in the middle of a rebound year. In 83 games, he’s hitting .266 with a .341 on-base percentage, a .480 slugging percentage and an .821 OPS. He has 12 home runs and 37 RBI, and his game has still carried the patient, disciplined approach that has long been part of his profile.
The power has come back, too. Lowe is posting his best slugging percentage since his 27-homer season in 2022, a sign that the left-handed hitter has found another gear after a stretch that included time with Washington and Boston in 2025 before signing with Cincinnati.
He has been locked in lately. Lowe hit .276 in July and came into Monday on a strong run, going 7-for-17 with four RBI over his last four games. That stretch included a three-hit game against the Pirates on Sunday.
Rivera, 19, heads to the Reds after spending this season in the lower levels of Cleveland’s system. Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela, he worked his way to Low-A Hill City after posting a 2.44 ERA with 13.13 strikeouts per nine and a .191 opponent batting average in 48 innings in the Arizona Complex league. He remains several years from the majors.
Cleveland also announced another roster move, sending INF Juan Brito to the Reds for cash considerations. Brito, 24, had been designated for assignment earlier in the day to clear room on the 40-man roster for Jo Adell, the trade pickup from the Angels.
Lowe’s path to Cleveland has been a winding one. He broke into the majors with the Rays, then became an important piece for the Rangers and helped Texas win the 2023 World Series. Now he joins Adell and Griffin Foster as part of a busy deadline stretch for the Guardians, who kept reshaping the roster right up to the finish line.
In Other News...
Guardians Trade Regret Just Got Even Harder To Ignore
The latest reminder of how the Alex Cobb deal has played out for Cleveland came from San Francisco, where the Giants promoted a young player who had quietly become part of the return in that trade. The move filled a need behind the plate after Jess Rodrguez landed on the injured list, but it also brought fresh attention to a swap that has not offered the Guardians much immediate benefit.
Cobb arrived in Cleveland with the expectation that he could help stabilize the rotation, yet injuries limited his availability and kept his impact modest. Meanwhile, the player the Giants just elevated has continued to build a strong minor league track record, which only sharpens the contrast between what San Francisco is getting from the deal and what Cleveland has been able to count on so far. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Paid A Real Price To Strengthen Their Rotation
The Guardians kept their most prized young talent intact, but they still had to pay up to shore up a rotation that already looks formidable. Their latest move brought in a left-handed pitcher with an All-Star nod and a 2.77 ERA before the deal, adding another experienced arm to a staff that has become one of the clubs real strengths.
To get it done, Cleveland sent four prospects to Washington, including pitchers Will Dion, Josh Hartle and Kendeglys Virguez, plus outfielder Nick Mitchell. It was the kind of prospect package that says the Guardians were serious about upgrading now, even if it stopped short of touching the top of the organizations farm system. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Finally Found The Right-Handed Bat This Lineup Needed
The Guardians spent the winter looking for a better fit on the right side of the plate, and they found one in Jo Adell. Cleveland brought in the right-handed hitting outfielder from the Angels in a move aimed squarely at adding some much-needed thump to a lineup that has wanted more home run power, especially against left-handed pitching.
For the Guardians, it also comes at a time when the roster has been built with an eye toward keeping options open beyond this season. Adell brings the kind of pop that can change the shape of a game, and the price tag speaks to Clevelands belief that this is the sort of swing worth making. Now the interesting part is how quickly the bat can translate into everyday value in a lineup that has been searching for exactly this kind of offense. [Read more 🡒]