Nationals Agree to Major League Deal With 2025 NPB All-Star Foster Griffin
In this story:
The offseason is starting to heat up for the Washington Nationals.
After there were countless trade rumors and speculation featuring MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams, new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was able to get two deals done that improves the long-term outlook of this franchise.
The first featured trading away Jose A. Ferrer to acquire star catching prospect Harry Ford, who could be the 2026 Opening Day catcher. Then, Toboni made a one-for-one prospect deal with the Boston Red Sox that sent Jake Bennett to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Luis Perales.
Now, Washington has reportedly made the first addition to their major league roster.
Free-agent pitcher Foster Griffin and the Washington Nationals are in agreement on a one-year, $5.5 million contract with incentives to get it to $6.5 million, pending physical, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 16, 2025
As reported by Robert Murray of FanSided, the Nationals are in agreement with left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin on a one-year, $5.5 million contract that can get up to $6.5 million with incentives. The former first-round pick of the Kansas City Royals back in the 2014 draft has spent the last few seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants.
Washington and Griffin are hoping he can be the latest reclamation project who comes back stateside after having a successful stint overseas, as that has worked for tons of pitchers in the past few years.
How Foster Griffin Performed in Nippon Professional Baseball
It's safe to say Griffin made the right move heading to Japan after the 2022 major league season. Despite being a first-round pick out of high school, it took the lefty a while to get his opportunity in the MLB with the Royals.
He debuted in 2020 and had success with a scoreless outing where he threw 1 2/3 shutout innings. But he underwent Tommy John surgery later that year and didn't make his way back to the majors until 2022. Griffin struggled that season, too. He posted a 12.46 ERA across five outings before he was designated for assignment.
With the Giants in NPB, he was a completely different pitcher. Across 54 outings, he posted a cumulative 2.57 ERA with 318 strikeouts and just 70 walks in 315 1/3 innings pitched. During this past season in 2025, Griffin posted a 1.62 ERA and was named an All-Star.
Foster Griffin has been borderline elite in NPB over the past 3 seasons. High pitchability, deep mix, and above-average command.
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) December 16, 2025
I believe he will kitchen-sink his way into being a solid back-end starter in MLB. https://t.co/5hInlXk3NB pic.twitter.com/ta8FKNzWYm
This isn't a splashy signing by any means compared to the other names that will come off the board. But the Nationals were never going to shop at the top of the market this offseason when it came to starting pitchers.
Instead, Toboni is taking a low-risk swing on a veteran left-hander who could be a solid rotation addition to this 2026 roster as they wait for some of their star prospects to develop further until they are knocking on the door of the majors.
More Nationals News
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai