This Impressive Southpaw Would Bolster A's Rotation

The A's need help in their rotation, and this starter would instantly be a top starter on the team.

May 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Athletics manager Mark Kotsay locks out from the dugout against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This season, the obvious struggle for the A's has been their pitching staff. Their bullpen has struggled, and they haven't been getting valuable innings from their rotation.

The team lost Luis Severino in May after his start against his former team and has also been riddled with many underperformances from its other Opening Day rotation starters.

JT Ginn, Painted 92mph Front Door Two Seamer. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/Bqa77QfLIa

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 27, 2026

Now the team is being carried by J.T. Ginn, who has been snubbed from the All-Star roster, but has been the most consistent arm in the team's rotation.

Luckily for the A's, if they are looking to add to their rotation, the Nationals might have the perfect starter to join their staff, and also instantly become one of the best arms in it.

Nationals Left-Hander, Foster Griffin

Jun 27, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin (22) pitches during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Nationals brought in the southpaw Griffin on a one-year deal this past offseason. This came after Griffin spent three seasons overseas in Japan. He signed the deal for $5.5 million and will be a free agent after this season.

Griffin headed overseas with a four-pitch mix and has now returned to the States with a seven-pitch arsenal, and has been dominant this season for the Washington Nationals.

Foster Griffin, Nasty 82mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/s7fgG6VzBZ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2026

He currently holds a 2.87 ERA in 103.1 innings pitched and is looking like an absolute superstar. Before this season, he'd thrown only eight big league innings from 2020-2022, and now he's thrown over 100 innings and has completely changed his stuff.

His success would be a perfect addition to the A's organization, which has had one of the better offenses in all of baseball, and just needs a few more pitchers to bring them right back into contention.

Athletics' Rotation With Griffin

Jun 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Foster Griffin (22) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the A's were able to bring in Foster Griffin, their rotation would instantly improve. As mentioned, the current rotation is headlined by J.T. Ginn, Gage Jump, and then the toss-ups in Aaron Civale, Jeffrey Springs, and Jack Perkins.

Once the team gets Severino back, that will improve the team's rotation as well. But because we don't know how long he'll be out, it's safe to assume they will have to look outside their organization to get rotation help.

JT Ginn, 92mph Paint. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/v6v2ybNdgf

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 16, 2026

Jamie Arnold has been shoving in Double-A and will look to be in the A's rotation in the future, hopefully alongside a couple of lefties with MLB experience like Jump, Springs, and possibly even Griffin.

If the A's trade for Griffin, it would be nice to give him a nice extension, as he plans to hit the open market and will get lots of money when he does so.