The Washington Nationals acquired left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartín from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for right-handed pitcher Robert Cranz on Friday. Additionally, Washington designated right-handed pitcher Kyle Nicolas for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcements.
Sanmartín, 30, went 3-0 with a 4.22 ERA in 24 games out of San Francisco’s bullpen in 2026. He ranked second in Major League Baseball with a 63.8% groundball rate (min. 20.0 IP).
Sanmartín pitched to a 1.69 ERA (3 ER/16.0 IP) and a .186 opponents’ average (11-for-59) with zero home runs in 19 games from Aug. 11 through the end of the season. Opposing left-handed hitters went 5-for-28 (.179) with just one extra-base hit during this stretch. For the season, opposing left-handed batters recorded just two extra-base hits (2B, 3B) and Sanmartín struck out 12 while walking just three.
Sanmartín (RAY-ver sanmarTEEN) pitched to a 3.03 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 21 Minor League games in 2026. He struck out 28 batters and walked just four in 29.2 innings pitched and posted a 0.94 WHIP along the way.
A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Sanmartín has appeared in 86 games (six starts) across parts of five Major League seasons with San Francisco (2026) and Cincinnati (2021-25). He is 10-4 with 12 holds and a 5.37 ERA in those 86 games. Sanmartin was claimed by the Giants off waivers from the Reds on Nov. 6, 2025.