The Washington Nationals added a left-handed arm on Friday, landing Reiver Sanmartín from the San Francisco Giants in a trade that sent right-hander Robert Cranz the other way. Washington also designated right-hander Kyle Nicolas for assignment, and Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni announced the moves.
Sanmartín, 30, spent the 2026 season in San Francisco’s bullpen and finished 3-0 with a 4.22 ERA across 24 appearances. He also stood out for getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground, ranking second in Major League Baseball with a 63.8% groundball rate among pitchers with at least 20.0 innings.
The late-season stretch was especially sharp. From Aug. 11 through the end of the year, Sanmartín posted a 1.69 ERA, allowing three earned runs over 16.0 innings, and held opponents to a .186 average, with no home runs allowed in 19 games.
Left-handed hitters had a tough time against him in that run, going 5-for-28 with only one extra-base hit. For the full season, opposing lefties managed just two extra-base hits, while Sanmartín struck out 12 and issued three walks.
He also logged 21 minor league games in 2026, working to a 3.03 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In 29.2 innings, he struck out 28 and walked four.
Sanmartín, whose name is pronounced RAY-ver sanmarTEEN, was born in Cartagena, Colombia. He has appeared in 86 major league games, including six starts, over parts of five seasons with San Francisco in 2026 and Cincinnati from 2021-25.
In that span, he is 10-4 with 12 holds and a 5.37 ERA. The Giants had claimed him off waivers from the Reds on Nov.
6, 2025.
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