CLEVELAND -- The Guardians made three trades Monday to bolster their lineup and surprisingly their rotation as they seek a third consecutive American League Central title.
Cleveland acquired All-Star pitcher Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals for four prospects, strengthening one of baseball's top rotations. The Guardians also made moves to get outfielder Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds.
"We were fortunate that a number of things came together, and the end result is we feel we're a better baseball team today," general manager Chris Antonetti said after the trade deadline passed. "We've been able to make additions that have strengthened really every aspect of the team. We've been able to add some balance to the lineup. We've improved the rotation, and we also feel we've added someone in the bullpen to strengthen that group, too."
The Guardians (57-56) have been over .500 for most of the season but are 6-10 since the All-Star break, tied for the third-worst mark in the AL. They entered Monday in second place in the AL Central standings, three games behind the Chicago White Sox, and with a one-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the league's final wild-card spot.
Griffin, who is coming off three excellent seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A first-time All-Star selection, Griffin was 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 22 starts for the Nationals.
He is eligible to become a free agent after this season.
Griffin, 31, doesn't throw hard -- among the National League leaders with a .226 batting average against, his average fastball of 91.4 mph is nearly 3 mph less than the others -- but he does have a cutter-heavy seven-pitch mix that includes a changeup and a splitter. He works laterally against lefties (sinker/cutter/sweeper) and more vertically against righties (four-seam fastball, cutter, curveball, changeup).
He recently had a streak of eight straight starts in which he gave up one run or fewer in each outing.
In 2025, he gave up one home run in 78 innings in Japan. But this year he has given up 19 in 129⅓ innings but is among the MLB leaders with 12 wins.
Guardians starters have a 3.68 ERA, sixth in the majors. Gavin Williams is second in the big leagues in strikeouts (178) and third in innings pitched (139), and rookie teammate Parker Messick was selected to the All-Star Game.
The Nationals received left-handers Will Dion and Josh Hartle, outfielder Nick Mitchell, and right-hander Kendeglys Virguez in the deal.
"I think we were determined to explore every opportunity to improve the team. And we're aggressive in the starting pitcher market, and we feel we were able to bring a starter in in Foster that's going to help make us better. And so that was the primary motivation behind it," Antonetti said.
Antonetti said manager Stephen Vogt and pitching coach Carl Willis are still figuring out whether they will go to a six-man rotation or stay with five and determine who is the odd man out.
Adding a couple of more bats was a necessity for the Guardians, who have been offense challenged this season. Cleveland has the third-worst batting average in the majors at .231, has scored the second-fewest runs (446) and ranks 27th with 109 homers.
Adell, 27, adds power and some outfield versatility. He has 16 homers and 62 RBIs this season, one year after hitting a career-best 37 homers with 98 RBIs. Adell had spent his career with the Angels after being the No. 10 pick in 2017.
Antonetti said Adell was projected to play right field and designated hitter.
The Angels received minor league catcher Jacob Cozart in the deal.
Lowe, 31, is batting .266 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs in 83 games this season. A left-handed batter, he is hitting .286 with an 0.855 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season. For his career, he has hit .264 with 119 home runs and 450 RBIs in eight seasons.
Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Manzardo have split time at first base in Cleveland, but Hoskins is batting .179 and Manzardo .215. Manzardo and David Fry were optioned to Triple-A Columbus to make room on the 26-man roster for Adell and Lowe.
Lowe will be in the lineup when the Guardians face right-handed pitches, while Hoskins will primarily face left-handers.
The Guardians traded right-hander Alejandro Rivera for Lowe. They also sent infielder Juan Brito to the Reds for cash.
To make room for Lowe on the 40-man roster, the Guardians transferred right-hander Shawn Armstrong to the 60-day injured list.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.