Guardians acquire Nats LHP Foster Griffin, Reds 1B Nathaniel Lowe

Field Level Media|published: Mon 3rd August, 19:52 2026

Jul 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin (22) throws to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians finished the trade deadline with a bang, adding breakout left-hander Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals and first baseman/designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds in the final 30 minutes before Monday's deadline.

Cleveland sent left-handers Will Dion and Josh Hartle, right-hander Kendeglys Virguez and outfielder Nick Mitchell to Washington, and shipped off right-hander pitching prospect Alejandro Rivera in the deal to acquire Lowe from Cincinnati.

The Guardians acquired slugging outfielder Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels earlier on Monday.

Griffin, 31, has been one of the surprise successes in the majors this season. After spending the last three seasons in Japan's NPB League, he made his first All-Star team in his return to the majors and has a 12-3 record with a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts spanning 129 1/3 innings, with 116 strikeouts and 30 walks.

The former first-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2014 had previously thrown just eight innings at the major league level between the 2020 and 2022 seasons.

Lowe, 31, was hitting .266 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs over 83 games in his first season with the Reds. He's a career .264 hitter with 119 homers and 450 RBIs over eight major league seasons with the Rays (2019-20), Rangers (2021-24), Nationals (2025), Boston Red Sox (2025) and Reds.

Of the five players the Guardians shipped off in the two deals, only Hartle (No. 25) is on the list of MLB Pipeline's top 30 prospects in the organization.

Dion, 26, made his major league debut in May and had a 0-0 record and 4.58 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

Hartle, 23, was a third-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by Pittsburgh. He was traded to Cleveland that December and was 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 19 starts this season at Double-A Akron.

Virguez, 22, was 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 25 relief appearances this season between Akron and High-A Lake County.

Mitchell, 22, hit .240 with five homers, 39 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 75 games this season for Akron.

Rivera, 19, is currently at Class-A Hill City and was 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA across two minor league levels this season.

--Field Level Media

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