WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Nationals made seven waiver claims last month, and they have already been active in camp.
On the eve of the first pitchers and catchers workout, the Nats acquired right-handed reliever Andre Granillo from the Cardinals in exchange for righty George Soriano.
To clear space on the 40-man roster, right-hander Trevor Williams (right elbow sprain) was placed on the 60-day injured list.
TRADE DETAILS
Cardinals receive: RHP George Soriano
Nationals receive: RHP Andre Granillo
The 25-year-old Granillo made 14 relief appearances last season after debuting on June 12. In 21 innings, he went 1-0 with one save and a 4.71 ERA.
Granillo recorded 18 strikeouts overall and held opponents to a .118 batting average (2-for-17) across his first four appearances, which were all scoreless.
At the Minor League level last season, Granillo ranked ninth with 7.71 baserunners per nine innings, and he tied for 12th with 0.83 walks/hits per innings pitched.
Across five Minor League seasons, Granillo was 22-15 with 31 saves and a 3.55 ERA. The Cardinals selected him in the 14th round of the 2021 Draft out of the University of California, Riverside.
The Nats had claimed Soriano off waivers from the Braves at the end of January.
“More than anything, it's just another way to build a really good roster,” president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said of waiver claims on Tuesday. “... We want to fight every fight on every battlefield, and this is just one of the ways that we can do it. By being aggressive, I think it's a pretty clean way to raise our floor.”