The Rays and Phillies both had a scout on hand for Foster Griffin’s start yesterday, according to The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum, a sign that the left-hander is firmly on the radar as the trade deadline picture starts to take shape. Whether Washington actually decides to move him is still the big question, but Griffin has clearly done enough to draw attention from contenders.
His latest outing wasn’t one of his sharpest. Griffin allowed three earned runs on a walk and six hits across 6 2/3 innings, striking out two.
Even so, that line came after a run of eight straight starts in which he gave up no more than one earned run, which shows how strong he’s been lately. Through 124 innings, the 30-year-old has posted a 2.76 ERA, a 22.6% strikeout rate, a 45.5% ground-ball rate, and a 5.6% walk rate.
He’s also getting a strong chase rate, which helps make up for middling strikeout and whiff numbers.
The deeper metrics suggest Griffin may be a little less dominant than the ERA says. His 3.75 SIERA, 82.9% strand rate, and .249 BABIP point to some regression risk.
But even with that caveat, he’s been one of the season’s better surprises. Washington signed him to a one-year, $5.5MM deal last winter, and he has more than earned it.
That’s a long way from where Griffin was a few years ago. He logged a 6.75 ERA in eight innings over seven games with the Royals and Blue Jays from 2020-22 before spending the next three seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, where he rebuilt his game and got the results to match.
If the Nationals had collapsed as expected, Griffin might already be gone. Instead, they’ve been powered by what may be baseball’s best offense to a 54-52 record and are just a game back of the final NL wild card spot.
That leaves Washington in a tricky spot. Griffin could still be moved, but dealing him would take a real bite out of a pitching staff that already isn’t strong.
The Nationals are still open to offers on Griffin, CJ Abrams, and Luis Garcia Jr., and they may try to balance selling and buying in the same move. That was the idea behind yesterday’s trade that sent Curtis Mead to the Red Sox for Connelly Early, with Washington turning a former top prospect who broke out after arriving in March into another former top-100 prospect who has already had some success since debuting last September.
A similar kind of deal could make sense with Tampa Bay, a club that has never been shy about creative trades. On paper, the Rays’ rotation looks strong, but Shane Rasmussen’s durability remains a concern after injuries kept him from pitching in 2024-25, and Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour have only been stretched out as starters during the season. Griffin would give them a more established option and another arm that could realistically start a playoff game.
Philadelphia’s need is different, but still real. Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesus Luzardo are set as the club’s postseason top three, yet Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter have struggled, leaving the Phillies searching for help at the back end of the rotation. Griffin would fit there too, though Washington may be reluctant to send him to a division rival, since the Nationals are only three games behind the Phillies for second place in the NL East.
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