The Cleveland Guardians, who completed one trade over the weekend and another one early on Monday, struck a deal to add another starting pitcher in the minutes prior to the deadline. It wasn’t their most pressing need, but they acknowledged the importance of quality rotation depth and acquired an All-Star arm from the Washington Nationals.
“The Cleveland Guardians are acquiring Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN,” Jeff Passan said.
The Cleveland Guardians are acquiring Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026
According to Nationals insider Spencer Nusbaum, the return for Griffin includes pitchers Will Dion, Josh Hartle, and Kendeglys Virguez, plus outfielder Nick Mitchell. Only Hartle (25th) was ranked among MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Guardians prospects.
Griffin is a 31-year-old left-hander who made his first All-Star Game just a few weeks ago. He has enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Nationals after a colorful career that got him from being picked in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals to spending three years in Japan between 2023 and 2025.
Griffin returned to the majors in 2026 and has been amazing for Washington. He has posted a 3.06 ERA in 129.1 innings, with a 4.09 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) and 1.8 fWAR.
Griffin has issued 30 walks this year, and he has struck out 116 hitters. His fastball averages just 91.4 mph, in the 10th percentile of all hurlers in baseball. However, he more than makes up for it with a versatile repertoire that includes a cutter, the heater, a sweeper, a sinker, a curveball, a changeup, and a splitter.
The southpaw is far from overpowering, but he knows how to pitch, can locate most of his offerings, and is, effectively, a rental despite accumulating just over one year of service time. Dion, who had a 4.58 ERA in 19.2 innings for the Guardians this season, had a chance to develop into a solid reliever, and the prospects are all enticing, but the deal didn’t really affect Cleveland’s farm system too much.
The most logical outcome is that Griffin replaces Slade Cecconi in the Guardians’ rotation. The unit will now be comprised of Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, and Griffin, with the former D-Back acting as quality depth.
NEXT: Insider Reveals What Guardians Saw In New Pitcher
