The Cardinals are heading into the offseason with pitching at the top of the list, and one possible rotation target has already surfaced from a familiar name in the rumor mill: left-hander Foster Griffin.
Will Leitch of MLB.com identified Griffin among five starters St. Louis could pursue, and the fit comes with a pretty clear logic. The Cardinals need help in the rotation, the bullpen could use attention too, and Griffin offers the kind of short-term stability that makes sense for a team not expected to chase the biggest names on the market.
Griffin split this season between the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians. Washington signed him for $5.5 million after he spent the previous three seasons pitching in Japan, and the move paid off immediately. In his return to the Majors, he made 22 starts and finished with a 3.06 ERA, good enough to earn an All-Star nod.
"It was just a one-year deal, though, so the Nationals traded him to the Guardians for four prospects. Griffin struggled after the trade (5.19 ERA in nine starts) but proved helpful in the team’s postseason run.
He’s basically the opposite of Bubic, with a higher floor but with a lower ceiling. That has a lot of value, though, and Griffin would love to prove he can be durable two seasons in a row."
Across both stops, Griffin won 15 games and logged a 3.60 ERA in 31 starts. He also struck out 158 batters over 172 2/3 innings and finished with a 3.3 WAR. Even with a rough second half, he still played a significant part in getting Cleveland to the American League Championship Series.
For St. Louis, the appeal is straightforward.
The 31-year-old should be in range financially, and a one- or two-year deal would line up with the Cardinals’ effort to bolster the rotation without diving into the deepest part of the market. Leitch noted they are not likely to be major players for Tarik Skubal or Sonny Gray, which makes Griffin the kind of practical target they could actually land.
He earned $5.5 million in 2026, so the price should rise a bit this winter. Still, the Cardinals have the ability to make it work, and Griffin could give them a dependable veteran arm while also leaving open the possibility of becoming a trade piece later if the team falls out of contention.
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