Giants Trade Sanmartin to Nationals for Cranz
San Francisco sends left-handed reliever Reiver Sanmartin to Washington in exchange for minor-league pitcher Robert Cranz.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Baseball
The San Francisco Giants traded left-handed reliever Reiver Sanmartin to the Washington Nationals for minor-league right-hander Robert Cranz. Sanmartin had been designated for assignment earlier in the week as the Giants trimmed their 40-man roster.
Why it matters
The move clears a spot on the Giants' 40-man roster while bringing back a young arm from Washington's system. It also follows a separate Sunday trade in which the Giants sent Nate Furman to the Nationals for pitcher Tony Neubeck.
Cranz has 128 career minor-league strikeouts over 95 2/3 innings, but his 2026 Triple-A stint ended in a demotion to Double-A after he allowed 17 earned runs and 13 walks in 11 2/3 innings. His 2026 season finished with a 5.17 ERA across 54 innings.
The players
San Francisco Giants
A Major League Baseball franchise based in San Francisco that competes in the National League West.
Washington Nationals
A Major League Baseball franchise based in Washington, D.C., that competes in the National League East.
Reiver Sanmartin
A 30-year-old left-handed reliever traded from the Giants to the Nationals.
Robert Cranz
A 23-year-old right-handed pitcher drafted by Washington in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB draft out of Oklahoma State.
The details
Sanmartin, a 30-year-old lefty, was designated for assignment earlier in the week before being traded to Washington. Cranz, 23, was a seventh-round pick of the Nationals in the 2024 draft out of Oklahoma State, and began 2025 at High-A before reaching Triple-A by June.
Timeline
Sunday (Nov. 1, 2026): Giants traded Nate Furman to Washington for Tony Neubeck.
Earlier in the week of Nov. 6, 2026: Sanmartin was designated for assignment.
Nov. 6, 2026: Giants completed the Sanmartin-for-Cranz trade with Washington.
Season Trajectory
Trades of relief arms and minor-league prospects during the offseason are a routine way for teams like the Giants and Nationals to manage their 40-man rosters under MLB's roster limits. Cranz's modest 2026 numbers suggest the trade is a depth move rather than a major competitive shift for either club.
For fantasy and roster watchers, the trade signals that Sanmartin's bullpen role in San Francisco is over and that Cranz is unlikely to be a factor on the Giants' major-league staff in the near term. The move changes the depth picture for both organizations' pitching pipelines.
The takeaway
Offseason transactions like this one often reshape bullpen depth more than headline rosters, so tracking minor-league performance helps explain who may matter next spring. Cranz's trajectory will show whether the Nationals' 2024 draft investment in him pays off.
Further reading
Explore more Baseball coverage to follow roster moves like this one across the league.
