The Washington Nationals add a pitcher in exchange for one who was DFA'd last week
With pitchers and catcher reporting today ahead of first workouts tomorrow, the Washington Nationals have made another move in a one-for-one trade involving a pair of right handed pitchers.
The team announced it has agreed to a deal with St. Louis that sends George Soriano to the Cardinals in exchange for Andre Granillo.
Soriano was first claimed back on Jan. 30 before being designated for assignment last week, adding to what has been a hectic few weeks for the right hander who also spent time with the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles following brief waiver claims this offseason.
Granillo, 25, joins the organization after pitching in 14 games in 2025 when he made his MLB debut. He finished 1-0 with a 4.71 ERA and 18 strikeouts against seven walks in 21 innings, including four scoreless appearances to open his professional career. He also added one save with the Cardinals, while he dazzled in Triple-A.
He posted a 1.29 ERA with 58 strikeouts to 14 walks and a 1.29 ERA across 42 innings and 29 appearances, giving the Nationals another possible high upside piece in the bullpen. Across his career, Granillo joins the Nationals with a career 31.9% strikeout rate across the minors against a 12.7% walk rate. He also joins the organization with minor league options remaining, but now joins the spring training roster as the 23rd pitcher with hopes of cracking the 40-man rotation.
In addition to the trade, Washington placed right handed pitcher Trevor Williams on the 60-day injured list, a move that was initially expected heading into the season. Williams suffered a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and underwent Tommy John surgery back on July 19 with the expectation that he could return midseason contingent on his progress through rehab. DJ Herz has not officially been designated, but has also been pointed to as another likely pitcher who will open the season on the 60-day injured list alongside Williams after undergoing a full Tommy John procedure back in April. Like Williams, Herz could also return to the Nationals midseason with a chance to possibly shakeup the bullpen once at full strength.
It marks the latest move to the Nationals' pitching roster as new manager Blake Butera looks to kickstart the turnaround with the unofficial start of spring training set for Wednesday given the first positional workouts, while the team will open play with games against the Cardinals and Astros next weekend, Feb. 21.