These Two Washington Nationals Are Perfect Fits for Athletics
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One of the biggest needs for the A's this summer is addressing their shortage of starting pitching. Their lack of starters early on has already led to some spot starts by Kade Morris and even Joey Estes against the Rockies last night.
Injuries seem to be a recurring theme for this pitching staff, as it feels like they can't catch a break. Luckily for the A's, veteran Aaron Civale made a rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.
Aaron Civale is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Las Vegas Thursday. Could return to the A’s at some point next week.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) June 9, 2026
Civale will look to rejoin the big league rotation as early as next week when the team is back in West Sacramento.
Even though the A's are getting some help with Civale next week, and also with Gage Jump, who's been looking very solid as a starter, the team will need to add more if they want a chance to make a run in the playoffs this season.
LHP Foster Griffin
If the A's are looking to explore for a southpaw in a trade this summer, the Nationals have a very good starter in Foster Griffin.
Griffin would be a rental if the A's elect to trade for him, as he is set to hit unrestricted free agency following this season. He is currently on a 1-year $5.50 million contract after spending his last few seasons overseas.
Foster Griffin, once again, is through five scoreless innings because he has, once again, limited hard contact.
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) June 10, 2026
He hasn't walked anyone and now has a 3.40 ERA. https://t.co/lKoXx7w7ip
The crafty southpaw has pitched in 78 innings this season for the Nationals. He holds an ERA of 3.46 with a 1.09 WHIP. Those numbers and the fact that he's a free agent after this year will likely make him a big-name trade before the deadline.
Foster Griffin is above average at striking out opposing hitters, as he sits in the 55th percentile in K%, and sits in the 79th percentile in BB%.
He also doesn't get hit around too much, which could make him a viable option pitching in a small stadium like Sutter Health Park.
RHP Cade Cavalli
Another Nationals pitcher that could be on the trade market is right-handed starter, Cade Cavalli. He made ten starts for them last season, but has dealt with his share of injuries over the years and never really put together a full season.
Now, Cavalli is off to a very nice start with the Nats and has posted a 3.88 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched. He also holds a 1.44 WHIP, which is a little bit high.
The attractive stat for Cavalli is the fact that he keeps the ball on the ground. He has a 46.5% ground ball rate, which is very good in MLB. That puts him in the 68th percentile of all pitchers, and could play well in Sutter Health Park.
Cade Cavalli, Wicked 87mph Sweeper. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/Qc4rIVNdMD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 13, 2026
Another nice thing about Cavalli is the fact that he's making less than $900k this year on his contract, and will make just $4 million next season. Because he's such a cheap starter, it could give the A's the option to spend money elsewhere to increase their payroll in the offseason.
While both Griffin and Cavalli are both great options for the A's to improve their rotation following the Civale and the Luis Severino injuries, Cavalli might be the best option. That's because he'll be cheaper for the A's and will be under team control for multiple years.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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