Washington Nationals Acquire Left-Handed Pitcher Reiver Sanmartín from San Francisco
The Washington Nationals acquired left-handed reliever Reiver Sanmartín from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Robert Cranz, Federal Baseball reported. President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the move following a contract extension with Jacob Young. Sanmartín is out of options, meaning Washington must carry him on the major league roster or risk losing him on waivers. Alongside the trade, the Nationals designated right-handed pitcher Kyle Nicolas for assignment, according to MLB.com.
Relies on Sinker Approach to Generate Groundouts
Sanmartín relies on a low arm angle and sinker-heavy approach to generate groundouts. He posted a 62.9% ground ball rate over 21.1 innings with San Francisco last season, according to Federal Baseball, while MLB.com notes he ranked second in Major League Baseball with a 63.8% groundball rate among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched. His fastball averaged 91.8 mph last year, utilizing a 22-degree arm angle. He finished the 2026 season going 3-0 with a 4.22 ERA across 24 bullpen appearances.
Sanmartín closed out the year with strong numbers, pitching to a 1.69 ERA with zero home runs across 19 games from August 11 through the end of the season, MLB.com reported. Opponents hit just .186 against him during that span, and left-handed batters recorded only two extra-base hits all season against the 30-year-old reliever. For his major league career across parts of five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants, Sanmartín holds a 10-4 record with 12 holds and a 5.37 ERA in 86 appearances.
We have acquired LHP Reiver Sanmartín from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for RHP Robert Cranz.
Robert Cranz Departs After Triple-A Struggles
Heading to San Francisco in the deal is 23-year-old right-hander Robert Cranz, a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft. Cranz produced strong numbers in High-A and Double-A, recording a 2.25 ERA and a 3.42 ERA respectively alongside high strikeout totals, Federal Baseball reported. However, his performance dropped after a promotion to Triple-A Rochester, where he posted a 13.11 ERA across 13 appearances before returning to Double-A.
More on Robert Cranz
Nationals have acquired LHP Reiver Sanmartin from the Giants for RHP Robert Cranz. Sanmartin, 30, had 4.22 ERA, 1.359 WHIP in 24 games this season, was DFA'd earlier this week. Cranz, 7th round pick in '24, had strong year with Wilmington and Harrisburg, struggled at Rochester.
The Giants announce they’ve acquired RHP Robert Cranz from the Nationals for Reiver Sanmartín, who was DFA’d on Tuesday. Cranz, 23, was a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma State. He reached Triple-A, but ended the season in Double-A.
The #SFGiants and Nationals completed a trade today with RHP Robert Cranz joining the Giants organization in exchange for LHP Reiver Sanmartín.
The Washington Nationals are trading relief prospect Robert Cranz to the San Francisco Giants for lefty reliever Reiver Sanmartín, per source.
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