The Washington Nationals added four players from the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, sending left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin to Cleveland in return.
Washington received left-handed pitcher Will Dion, left-handed pitcher Josh Hartle, outfielder Nick Mitchell and right-handed pitcher Kendeglys Virguez in the deal, which Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni announced.
Dion, 26, reached the majors for the first time in 2026 and has already shown he can miss bats in a hurry. He struck out 25 hitters and walked only three over 19.2 innings out of Cleveland’s bullpen, working in 12 games across three separate stints. His big-league debut came on May 26 against Washington, when he threw 3.0 innings of two-run, five-hit relief with three strikeouts and no walks.
Before that, Dion built his case in Cleveland’s farm system. The ninth-round pick from McNeese State University in 2021 owns a 27-21 record with a 3.39 ERA over 137 professional appearances in six minor league seasons. He averaged 10.08 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and moved from the rotation to the bullpen in 2026.
Hartle arrives as one of Cleveland’s better pitching prospects. MLBPipeline.com ranked the 23-year-old No. 25 in the Guardians’ system, and his 2026 season at Double-A Akron included a 4-4 record, a 3.86 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 19 starts. In 2025, he paced Cleveland’s system in ERA at 2.54 and WHIP, and he finished third in opponents’ average at .208.
Drafted in the third round out of Wake Forest University in 2024, Hartle has compiled a 14-7 record with a 3.24 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 208.1 innings over 44 games, 43 of them starts, across three minor league seasons.
Mitchell, 22, gives Washington a left-handed bat with some speed and versatility. In 75 games with Double-A Akron in 2026, he hit .240 with 14 doubles, two triples, five homers, 39 RBI, 48 walks, 19 stolen bases and 51 runs scored. He spent time in center field, left field and right field, with appearances at all three spots in his third professional season.
Originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Mitchell was later acquired by Cleveland on Feb. 10, 2024.
Virguez, also 22, brings another arm with swing-and-miss numbers. Between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron in 2026, he struck out 45 batters in 28.1 innings, good for 14.29 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. He went 4-1 with two saves and a 4.13 ERA, and allowed only one home run.
Signed by Cleveland as an international free agent on March 26, 2022, Virguez has racked up 182 strikeouts while giving up just 11 homers in 137.1 innings over 85 games in five professional seasons in the Guardians’ system.
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