When assessing the Nationals roster, one specific area jumped out at president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.
“Where my head goes first is pitching -- starting pitching and relief pitching,” Toboni said last week at the Winter Meetings.
After acquiring Minor League right-hander Luis Perales in a trade with the Red Sox on Monday, the Nationals are adding a veteran arm to their Major League pitching staff.
The Nats have agreed to sign left-hander Foster Griffin to a one-year contract, pending a physical, sources told MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato and Mark Feinsand on Tuesday. Washington has not confirmed the deal, which is reportedly worth $5.5 million and contains up to $1 million in incentives.
This is Toboni’s first free-agent signing since being named president of baseball operations in October.
Griffin, 30, returns to MLB after three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, where he went 18-10 and posted a 2.57 ERA across 315 2/3 innings. He was named an NPB All-Star in 2025 before being hampered late in the season by a right knee injury. He finished the season with a 1.62 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 78 innings.
Griffin will have the opportunity to contend for a spot in the Nationals starting rotation. He would bring a veteran presence to the young group. Right-hander Trevor Williams, 33, is recovering from undergoing an internal brace procedure last July. The rotation currently includes southpaw MacKenzie Gore (who is at the forefront of trade buzz) and right-handers Jake Irvin and Cade Cavalli.
A first-round Draft pick by the Royals out of high school in 2014, Griffin reached the Major Leagues in 2020, but he sustained an injury in his MLB debut that required Tommy John surgery. Griffin returned to the mound in 2022 before a midseason trade to the Blue Jays. He owns a 6.75 ERA in seven career appearances, all out of the bullpen (six with Kansas City; one with Toronto).
Griffin last appeared in a Major League game on Sept. 22, 2022. After he was released by the Blue Jays in November 2022, Griffin signed a deal with Yomiuri.
Last season, Nationals starters recorded the second-highest ERA in baseball (5.18) and ranked 25th overall in strikeout rate (7.56). As part of a revamped coaching staff, manager Blake Butera tabbed Simon Mathews as pitching coach and Sean Doolittle as assistant pitching coach.