Guardians Land Griffin, Adell, Lowe at Deadline
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- Cleveland Guardians acquired All-Star pitcher Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals for four prospects (Will Dion, Josh Hartle, Nick Mitchell, Kendeglys Virguez); Griffin went 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 22 starts and is a first-time All-Star.
- Griffin, 31, is coming off three seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, is eligible for free agency after this year, and works with a 91.4 mph average fastball — nearly 3 mph below other NL leaders — leaning on a cutter-heavy seven-pitch mix.
- Cleveland also acquired outfielder Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels for minor league catcher Jacob Cozart and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Alejandro Rivera, with infielder Juan Brito also sent to Cincinnati for cash.
- The Guardians entered Monday at 57-56, sitting three games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central and one game ahead of the Minnesota Twins for the final wild-card spot, with a 6-10 mark since the All-Star break tied for third-worst in the AL.
- Cleveland's offense ranks third-worst in batting average (.231), second-fewest in runs (446) and 27th in home runs (109), making the additions of Adell (16 HR, 62 RBI) and Lowe (.266/.855 OPS vs. righties) a priority, per GM Chris Antonetti.
- Manager Stephen Vogt and pitching coach Carl Willis are deciding between a six-man and five-man rotation; Manzardo and David Fry were optioned to Triple-A Columbus and Shawn Armstrong was moved to the 60-day IL to clear 26- and 40-man roster spots.
Why it matters: The Guardians paid four prospects for a rental — Griffin hits free agency after this season — while also patching an offense that ranks third-worst in MLB batting average, signaling an all-in bid for a third straight division crown despite sitting three games back in a tight AL Central race.
