Cleveland Guardians acquired All-Star left-hander Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals on Monday, capping a frantic 24 hours of trade deadline deals that also brought outfielder Jo Adell and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to Ohio. The transactions reinforce an already formidable rotation and address a struggling offense ahead of the stretch drive.
The Deadline Chaos That Brought Foster Griffin to Cleveland
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti acknowledged that the deal was far from certain in the final hours before the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline.
“If you were to ask me at 10 o’clock last night, I would have said ‘I’m not sure I’m optimistic we’ll get something done.’ But that’s the nature of trades, and things came together relatively late in the day, and we’re happy they did.”
Chris Antonetti, President of Baseball Operations, via MLB.com
The acquisition of Griffin highlights an active deadline day for the Guardians, who also landed outfielder Jo Adell from the Angels and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Reds. While Cleveland entered the deadline actively seeking offensive help to fix a lineup that ranked 29th in the majors with 3.95 runs per game, the team also chose to bolster its pitching depth.
Inside Griffin’s Remarkable Return From Japan
Griffin has established himself as one of the most compelling stories of the 2026 season. The left-hander was originally drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Royals in 2014, but made just seven major league appearances between 2020 and 2022. He subsequently spent three years pitching for the Yomiuri Giants of the Japan Central League, where he posted a 2.57 ERA.
That stint abroad transformed his career. Returning stateside on a one-year, $5.5 million deal with Washington that included a club option up to $6.5 million, Griffin reinvented his pitching repertoire into a seven-pitch mix featuring a cutter, sweeper, changeup, curveball, sinker, splitter, and four-seam fastball. Over 22 starts this season, he logged a 3.06 ERA with 116 strikeouts and 30 walks across 129 1/3 innings.
“Very atypical path. There are a lot of guys that have gone overseas, whether it’s Japan or Korea, and either learned about themselves or changed their pitch mix and have come back and been more effective pitchers. And I think that’s been the case with Foster.”
Chris Antonetti, President of Baseball Operations, via MLB.com
Griffin’s performance earned him an All-Star nod on the National League roster, replacing injured pitcher Braxton Ashcroft after entering the break with a 10-2 record, a 2.77 ERA, and a 1.02 WHIP. He became the Nationals’ third All-Star selection, joining CJ Abrams and James Wood.
The Player Return Sent to Washington
To secure the left-hander, the Guardians parted ways with a four-player package consisting of left-handers Will Dion and Josh Hartle, right-hander Kendeglys Virguez, and outfielder Nick Mitchell. Among the group, Dion is the only player with major league experience, having logged a 4.58 ERA across 12 appearances in the majors this season.
Hartle, ranked as the No. 18 prospect heading back from Cleveland, posted a 3.86 ERA in 19 starts with Double-A Akron. Virguez, a 22-year-old right-hander signed out of Venezuela in 2022, recorded a 4.13 ERA in 25 relief appearances across Akron and High-A Lake County. Mitchell, also 22, slashed .240/.358/.360 in Double-A this season.
Sorting Out the Guardians’ Rotation and Lineup
Cleveland’s coaching staff faces immediate decisions regarding roster construction. The Guardians already boasted a reliable rotation consisting of Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, Parker Messick, and Gavin Williams, which started all but one of the team’s first 113 games and ranked sixth in the majors with a 3.68 ERA.
Manager Stephen Vogt, pitching coach Carl Willis, and assistant pitching coach Joe Torres scheduled a conference call to determine how to integrate Griffin into a six-man mix alongside Bibee, Cantillo, Cecconi, Messick, and Williams. Meanwhile, the addition of Nathaniel Lowe provides an immediate boost against right-handed pitching, slashing .286/.363/.522 with 12 home runs in 251 plate appearances against righties. Lowe’s arrival displaced first baseman Kyle Manzardo, whom the team optioned to Triple-A Columbus after he hit 13 home runs with a .684 OPS over 102 games.
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