Guardians land All-Star lefty Foster Griffin from Nationals

The Guardians spent the days leading up to the deadline getting connected to just about every arm on the market, and it turns out the Astros weren't the only ones with eyes on Foster Griffin. Cleveland beat Houston to the punch, closing a deal to bring the lefty over from Washington.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Astros Have Discussed Foster Griffin t.co/axKXgT2SSB

That report dropped less than an hour before the actual trade came together, and once it did, the baseball beat lit up all at once. Mark Feinsand had it first: the Nationals were sending their All-Star lefty to Cleveland.

Mark Feinsand

@Feinsand

Breaking: The Nationals are trading All-Star LHP Foster Griffin to the Guardians, per source.

Ken Rosenthal, Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman all confirmed within minutes, the kind of pile-on that tells you a deal is very real and very done. Griffin is a legit get for a Guardians rotation that's been searching for another reliable arm all summer — the 31-year-old is 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts this season, signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal with Washington over the winter after three productive years pitching in Japan. Landing a No. 2-caliber starter like that at the deadline, without giving up a major-league piece, is the kind of move that can shift a division race.

The cost was steep on volume if not on star power. Washington's return is headlined by left-hander Josh Hartle, Cleveland's No. 25 prospect, along with left-hander Will Dion, right-hander Kendeglys Virguez and outfielder Nick Mitchell — a four-for-one package that lets the Nationals restock even as they move off their most attractive trade chip.

Mark Feinsand

@Feinsand

The Nationals receive LHP Josh Hartle (Guardians No. 25), LHP Will Dion, RHP Kendeglys Virguez and OF Nick Mitchell from Cleveland for Foster Griffin, per source. @spencernusbaum_ was on it.

For Washington, this is straightforward sell mode — turn a pending rental with three months left of team control into as many controllable arms and bats as they can get, even if none of the names jump off the page individually. For Cleveland, it's the opposite bet: bolster the rotation now and worry about the farm system later. Griffin slots in as an immediate impact starter for a Guardians club that's clearly not messing around this deadline, and how he pitches down the stretch will go a long way toward deciding whether this trade gets remembered as a steal or a footnote.