The Nationals are staring at a decision that could define the next week of their season: keep pushing toward October with Foster Griffin, or turn one of their biggest arms into a trade piece before Monday’s deadline.
That tension is front and center as Washington opens a crucial four-game set in Atlanta tonight. The Nats are in the thick of the Wild Card race, and how they handle this stretch could determine whether they act like buyers or sellers.
Griffin sits right in the middle of it all. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported, via a source, that a contract extension between Griffin and the Nationals is “very unlikely.” At the same time, the left-hander is one of the club’s most valuable assets on the roster.
He has been a major reason Washington has climbed to 55-54 and stayed ahead of expectations while chasing its first postseason appearance since 2019. Griffin is scheduled to make his final start before the Trade Deadline on Friday night.
The numbers tell the story. Griffin is 12-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 21 starts, and he has logged 124 innings with a 1.03 WHIP.
The 31-year-old came to Washington on a one-year, $5.5 million deal in December after spending the previous three seasons in Japan. First-year president of baseball operations Paul Toboni identified upside in Griffin, who earned his first All-Star nod in 2026 after appearing in only seven Major League games from 2020-22.
There’s also a financial wrinkle waiting down the road. A 2027 qualifying offer for Griffin would land around $22 million, roughly four times the value of his current contract. If the Nationals were to extend that offer and Griffin declined before signing elsewhere, Washington would get a Draft pick as compensation.
In Other News...
Nationals Have Reached A Deadline Decision Their Season Cant Avoid
At 55-55 through 110 games, the Nationals have managed to stay in the thick of the race while also reminding everyone why this has been such a hard team to pin down. They lead Major League Baseball in runs, home runs and steals, a profile that looks like a contender on paper, but the pitching has been shaky enough to keep the club from separating itself in the standings. The result is a season that keeps hovering around the edge of relevance without ever quite breaking open.
Washington is still only about 2.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot, but the margin for error is getting thin and the club has not exactly built much momentum with long winning streaks. The next stretch should say plenty about whether this group is for real or just hanging around the conversation, especially with the deadline approaching and an eight-game run against the Braves and Phillies looming. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Rumors Should Have Nationals Fans Watching This Very Closely
Boston is already working the market with a deadline approach that should have Nationals fans paying attention, and the connection is not just theoretical. The Red Sox have made one deal with Washington already, landing Curtis Mead for Connelly Early, while also sitting in playoff position and looking for more help as the stretch run takes shape. That kind of buyer status tends to turn every controllable piece on a roster into a talking point, especially when the other club has shown it is willing to deal.
For Washington, the bigger issue is which names might actually be in play and which ones are only being floated as possibilities. CJ Abrams is the kind of player Boston would love to ask about, but moving him would be a major step for the Nationals, and the same rumor mill is circling other options as the Red Sox weigh upgrades around the roster. Boston is also hoping for eventual returns from Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet, but neither is close enough to change the urgency of what happens next. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Face A Deadline Decision Fans May Hate
With the trade deadline closing in, the Nationals are sorting through a familiar kind of July uncertainty, weighing whether to move a rental arm and how aggressive to be with the rest of the roster. Foster Griffin looks like the clearest candidate to go, and the club is at least listening as interest builds from teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Shortstop CJ Abrams is also part of the conversation, though his longer control window makes him a much different kind of decision for a rebuilding club trying to balance present value against what comes next.
The timing is made more delicate by the pitching picture, which took another hit when left-hander Mitchell Parker was placed on the 60-day injured list after surgery. For a Nationals team already trying to map out its deadline path, that kind of news only sharpens the question of how much short-term help it can afford to subtract. Griffin may be the easiest call, but the bigger choices are the ones that could shape how the organization looks well beyond this month. [Read more 🡒]