Throughout the majority of this offseason, the front office of the Washington Nationals has been busy. While I don't think you would find a Nationals fan out there that isn't frustrated with the team's lack of aggression on the free agent front heading into spring training, the club will certainly still look a lot different than the last time we saw this team take the field.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Nationals are going to be better in 2026 than they were in 2025. In fact, there's actually a pretty good chance they are similar if not worse from a record standpoint than they were last year. However, there is at least a clear direction in Washington, and it is primarily focused on turning the franchise into a player development machine.
The Nationals have spent a lot of their offseason making smaller moves, while also managing to make some trades that could end up paying dividends both now and in the future. They also have been waiver wire machines, claiming and releasing several players over the last few weeks.
One of those claims, George Soriano, came over from the Miami Marlins recently, and he looked as if he was going to have a good chance to factor into the Nationals' bullpen equation. However, he is now on his way out of Washington, having been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for righty reliever Andre Granillo.
So what exactly are the Nationals getting in Granillo? The 25-year-old broke into the majors last season with St. Louis after being drafted by the organization in the 14th round back in 2021. He appeared in 14 games and pitched to a 4.71 ERA and 1.381 WHIP in 21.0 innings. He had a modest 18:7 K:BB ratio and even saved a game as well.
Throughout his minor league career, Granillo has 31 career saves, including a career-high 14 back in 2023, so perhaps he could be a guy that earns some late-inning opportunities for the Nationals. According to Statcast, he features a 4-pitch mix that includes a fastball, sinker, changeup, and his slider, which he relies on 65.1% of the time.
The bottom line is, Granillo is an intriguing trade acquisition by Toboni and the front office that might not flash on paper, but could end up being a move we look back on later in the season in favor of. While we wait to see if the Nationals bring in any sort of proven veteran late-inning guy, we will have to see if Granillo can emerge from the pack as the Nationals break camp.
What do you think of the Nationals acquiring Andre Granillo from the Cardinals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.