Cleveland’s postseason run has kept the focus on the present, but Foster Griffin has already become one of the bigger questions waiting in the background.
The Guardians hold a 2-1 series lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series, and the first three games have matched the billing of a showdown between the AL’s top two seeds. Cleveland can close the door at home if it wins the next two, leaning on strong starting pitching, a lively bullpen and just enough offense at the right moments.
Even with that work still unfinished, the offseason picture is starting to take shape for the front office. Griffin is a name that will almost certainly come up.
Cleveland acquired the left-hander at the deadline this year, and before the move he had been rolling with the Washington Nationals. He posted a 3.06 ERA across 22 starts, earned an All-Star nod and looked like a steady presence on the mound.
Once he landed with the Guardians, though, things went sideways. His ERA jumped to 5.19 over nine starts in Cleveland, and the rhythm he had found earlier in the year never really returned.
That downturn has changed the way he’s being viewed around the league. MLB analyst Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed Griffin among the players teams should approach with caution in free agency, labeling him a “buyer beware” target for the offseason.
There is at least one encouraging detail in Griffin’s Cleveland stretch: he didn’t give up homers. Over his final six starts of the season, he allowed none. That could matter when teams sit down to evaluate what he might still offer.
Griffin has also seen action in the playoffs, appearing in two games and putting up a 4.05 ERA. He started Game 1 against the Rays and gave up two runs on five hits in four innings.
For Cleveland, the decision on Griffin is coming soon enough. The Guardians will have to weigh whether bringing him back makes sense after the way his season finished. If they were to win the World Series, though, the idea of keeping him as rotation depth could come back into play, with hopes that he can regain the form that made him look like an All-Star-caliber pickup in the first place.
In Other News...
Guardians Put Their Trust In A Risky ALCS Game 4 Plan
Rain has already pushed back Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, but the delay only adds another layer to a night Cleveland was preparing to approach in a different way. With a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay, the Guardians were set to turn to a bullpen game, with Shawn Armstrong lined up as the opener in a plan that asks a lot from the staff and gives the series a different look at a critical moment.
Tanner Bibee sounded comfortable with the arrangement before the game, pointing to the confidence the Guardians have in their pitching group. It is the kind of move teams usually reserve for a spot where they believe the matchups and depth can hold up, but it also leaves little margin if the game turns into a long grind once the tarp comes off and the first pitch finally gets thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Turn To Unconventional Game 4 Plan With ALCS Momentum Rising
With Cleveland up two games to one in the American League Championship Series, the next step in this matchup is coming with a twist. The Guardians announced Shawn Armstrong will open Game 4 before handing things off to a bulk reliever, a setup that reflects how confidently the pitching plan is being managed as the series shifts back to Cleveland. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is set to counter with Nick Martinez in Friday nights game, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
It is the kind of postseason decision that can change quickly if the weather gets involved, too. Rain is in the forecast, which adds another layer of uncertainty to a game already carrying plenty of weight for the Guardians, who have a chance to push their momentum even further on home turf. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Bullpen Outlook Just Shifted Around Colin Holderman
Colin Holdermans status is the latest bullpen note to settle in around the Guardians, and it is a significant one. The reliever recently underwent surgery on his right wrist to address recurring tendinitis, leaving Cleveland to plan for life without one of the arms it had viewed as an important part of the relief mix going forward.
Holderman had already been sidelined for the past month with the injury, and the timeline now stretches much farther than a short-term fix. The expectation is that he will be ready for the 2027 season and spring training, which gives the Guardians plenty of time to adjust in the meantime but also leaves a sizable gap in the bullpen picture until then. [Read more 🡒]