Guardians Get Unfortunate Prediction on Foster Griffin Free Agency

The Cleveland Guardians have a big offseason upcoming, following an appearance in the American League Championship Series.

Cleveland fell in six games to the Tampa Bay Rays, sending the team into the offseason that is filled with questions. The Guardians have been able to find success with a low payroll, but some have wondered how far this team could go if the front office were to spend a little money.

But as the offseason gets going for the Guardians, the team does have some key players entering into free agency. One of them is left-hander Foster Griffin, whom the team traded for at the deadline this past season.

Griffin was lights-out with the Washington Nationals before being traded, with the lefty making the All-Star team in the National League. With Washington, the lefty posted a 3.06 ERA over 22 starts, pitching 129.1 innings.

But once he got to Cleveland, something changed, with Griffin not looking comfortable at all. Overall, Griffin put up a 5.19 ERA over nine starts, throwing 43.1 innings for the Guardians.

His issues could see the Guardians let him walk this winter, but that all remains to be seen as the offseason going on. But Cleveland does have a tough decision to make on the veteran left-hander this offseason.

MLB Trade Rumors analysts Steve Adams, Anthony Franco and Darragh McDonald all have predicted the Guardians to lose Griffin this offseason. The projection for the contract that the lefty will receive came in at three years, $39 million, which could be too high for Cleveland to be comfortable with.

Given the struggles that Griffin saw with the Guardians, the team may be better off looking elsewhere for another starter. But the team doesn't typically make trades like this, so the front office may feel obligated to retain the left-hander.

Griffin could be a solid bounce back candidate for next season, and he was incredible to open the 2026 season. Maybe another year in the Cleveland system could benefit him, helping the veteran get back to his All-Star form.

Cleveland does need another starter for the 2027 season, especially after the team threw multiple bullpen games in the playoffs. The Guardians didn't trust many arms past the top few guys in the rotation, and it ended up costing them the ALCS.

While Griffin had his share of issues in Cleveland, the two sides know each other now, making for possible improvement next season.