The Guardians added another arm at the deadline, landing left-hander Foster Griffin from the Nationals in a four-player deal that gives Cleveland even more depth in a rotation that has carried the club all season.
Griffin’s path to this point has been unusual, and the numbers tell the story. He signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal with Washington over the winter after three productive seasons in Japan, where he posted a 2.57 ERA and a 25.1% strikeout rate over 315 2/3 innings with the Yomiuri Giants from 2023-25. Before that, his major league résumé was tiny - just eight innings of 6.75 ERA ball with the Royals and Blue Jays from 2020-22.
That international rebound translated quickly once he got back to the majors. In 22 starts for the Nationals, Griffin logged a 3.15 ERA, a 22.1K% and a sharp 5.7% walk rate across 129 1/3 innings, good enough to earn a spot on the NL All-Star roster.
There are some warning lights beneath the surface, though. Griffin’s walk rate is elite, but his underlying metrics are mostly average, and he has also benefited from a .256 BABIP. Even so, his ground-ball tendencies should fit nicely in front of Cleveland’s strong infield defense, and the Guardians’ pitching development group will have the rest of the 2026 season to work with him.
For Cleveland, the move only deepens a rotation that has been one of the club’s biggest strengths. Griffin now joins Parker Messick and Gavin Williams in what could be the top three starters in a playoff series, with Tanner Bibee and Joey Cantillo rounding out the top five.
Slade Cecconi could slide into a depth role or the bullpen after the trade. Remarkably, those five pitchers have started all but one of Cleveland’s games this season, so Griffin gives the Guardians some needed flexibility, whether that means extra rest for the staff or insurance if injuries finally hit.
It’s a classic “you can never have too much pitching” addition for a team whose bigger need remains offense. Cleveland did address the lineup elsewhere on deadline day, adding Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, but the Griffin deal signals a clear emphasis on run prevention as the Guardians chase the White Sox and Twins for the AL Central title or at least a wild-card spot.
The price was not insignificant. The Guardians gave up four players for what amounts to a rental, something they usually avoid, but the tighter playoff race and the general weakness of the American League may have pushed them to be more aggressive. Griffin’s remaining salary also made him more manageable for a low-spending club; he is owed about $1.79MM for the rest of the season.
Washington, meanwhile, turned Griffin’s breakout into a strong return. The Nationals got quality innings from him for four months, and the trade haul looks better than what they might have expected when they signed him with the idea of flipping him at the deadline.
Even with the Nationals above .500 before their current five-game losing streak, it wasn’t obvious whether Griffin would be moved or whether Washington would try to add pitching for its own wild-card push. Nats president of baseball operations Paul Toboni told reporters, including the Washington Post’s Danielle Allentuck, that the team had a “c lear desire to want [Griffin] around,” and he confirmed that the sides discussed a contract extension.
Among the players headed to Washington, Dion is the only one with major league experience. The 26-year-old has a 4.58 ERA, along with a very strong 29.4% strikeout rate and 3.5% walk rate over 19 2/3 innings since debuting with Cleveland earlier this season. A ninth-round pick in 2021, he spent 2026 as a full-time reliever for the first time.
That role change has worked well. Between his time in the majors and his 3.62 ERA, 35.1K% and 4.7% walk rate over 37 1/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus this year, Dion has shown real upside. His fastball has ticked up a bit, though only to 91.6 mph, while the bigger adjustment has been the addition of a cutter and a heavier use of his curveball and slider at the expense of his changeup.
Dion could be in Washington’s bullpen right away. Hartle is probably the headliner in the prospect group, though, since MLB Pipeline ranked him 25th among all Guardians minor leaguers.
The 23-year-old has a 3.86 ERA in 93 1/3 innings and 19 Double-A starts this season, leaning on grounders and soft contact rather than strikeout totals. That low-strikeout, low-velocity style is less common these days, but it has produced solid results so far, even if his long-term fit as a starter remains uncertain.
Virquez brings a very different profile. Over five pro seasons, he has piled up big strikeout numbers while struggling with command. The 22-year-old former international signee just reached Double-A less than a week ago, and he could be on the radar for a 2027 big league call-up if he develops into a relief specialist in Washington’s system.
Mitchell rounds out the return. He has played all three outfield spots and hit .240/.358/.360 in 329 Double-A plate appearances this year, with five homers and 19 steals in 23 tries. A fourth-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2024 draft, he was later dealt to Cleveland in the four-player trade that sent Andres Gimenez to Toronto in December 2024.
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One name drawing attention is CJ Abrams, who is also in the middle of a career year and has already set a new personal best with 28 home runs. With the deadline clock running down, the Nationals are in that uncomfortable spot where interest around their players is real, the market is moving, and the next step could reshape the infield picture as much as any move they have made so far. [Read more 🡒]