Guardians get Foster Griffin in five-player trade

This one qualifies as a surprise. According to multiple reports, the Nationals are getting four players back in the deal. The 31-year-old journeyman earned a trip to the All-Star Game last month and has posted a strong 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 116/30 K/BB ratio across 129 1/3 innings in his stateside return. The move to Cleveland is a boost to his fantasy appeal since he should benefit from facing weaker lineups in the AL Central in addition to pitching in some friendlier ballparks.

This was Griffin’s first rough start in a while. The Braves were on him immediately, scoring in each of the first two innings and had six hard-hit balls in the process. Then, Griffin completely fell apart in the sixth when Matt Olson doubled to start the frame, Ozzie Albies singled just after, and Michael Harris II brought everyone home with a long three-run home run. That was the second left-on-left homer Griffin allowed in this game and it was a start to forget about as soon as possible. If he remains on the Nationals through the trade deadline, he’ll face the Phillies on the road next time out.

Griffin tossed two scoreless innings, then gave up two runs in the third on a single, a hit batter, and a two-run base hit by Gabriel Moreno. He settled in for three more scoreless innings before giving up a run with two outs in the seventh. He struck out two. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 2.76 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 113/28 K/BB ratio across 124 innings into a start against the Braves in Atlanta on Thursday.

Griffin was a bit fortunate to allow just the one run, as he gave up eight hits and a walk in the contest, and he didn’t miss a ton of bats as seen in just two strikeouts. Still, it’s another effective outing for the 30-year-old in his breakout campaign, and it improves his record to a deserved 11-2. Griffin is currently the subject of trade rumors — it’s worth noting that he’s signed to just a one-year contract right now — but for now, he’s set to face the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Ashcraft was a late addition to the roster on Tuesday, but now he’s not going to pitch after starting today. Griffin has been a great surprise this year in going 10-2 with a 2.77 ERA after signing for just $5.5 million in his return from Japan. Still, this feels like one of those where we’ll be asking in a few years, “how was that guy an All-Star?”

Griffin allowed just five hits, lowering his ERA to 2.77. The lefty has been a strike-throwing machine in his return to the majors, though his peripherals suggest he hasn’t been quite as good as the surface numbers indicate. Still, it’s been an incredible first half for fantasy managers who scooped him up early. He has now allowed one run or less in seven consecutive starts. This was his final outing before the All-Star break. A difficult matchup awaits after the midsummer classic if Griffin winds up pitching in West Sacramento.

Griffin didn’t have his strikeout pitch working in this one, but he managed just fine without it. The left struck out only two batters on Friday, but held the Pirates to four hits, with the lone extra-base hit coming via a solo homer by Bryan Reynolds in the third inning. He’s allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last six starts and is scheduled to make his next start at home on Wednesday against the Astros.

Griffin gave up three hits, walked two and struck out nine. The 30-year-old left-hander continues to pitch well as he lowered his ERA to 2.93 with a 3.56 xFIP. Griffin has a 23 percent strikeout percentage and six percent walk percentage. While his .240 BABIP allowed and 83 percent left on base percentage are sure to regress to the mean, Griffin has also displayed enough skills to remain firmly in starting lineups. He’s lined up to face the Pirates at home next weekend.

Griffin tied his previous high for strikeouts, and it’s the fourth straight start in which he’s allowed exactly one run, a stretch that has dropped his ERA to 3.15. He’s certainly been fortunate to post a .243 BABIP to date, but his 23.8 percent strikeout rate and 6.1 percent walk rate are both very good. He’s due to make his next start Saturday in Baltimore.

The left-hander threw 74 percent of his pitches for strikes, striking out six and walking two. He also posted a solid 14 percent swinging strike rate with 14 whiffs on the day, including a 39 percent swinging strike rate on his sweeper. Griffin lowered his ERA to 3.32 in his return to MLB, but he gets a much stiffer test against the Phillies next week. In shallow leagues, we might recommend keeping him in your bench for that one.