Guardians quiet advantage got even stronger thanks to Foster Griffin trade

Later today, Foster Griffin will don a Guardians uniform, dig into Progressive Field’s mound and become the seventh pitcher to start a game for the Guardians this season. 

The only other pitcher to start a game for the Guardians other than Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo or Slade Cecconi was Logan Allen, who took the ball in the second game of a doubleheader as the team’s 27th man. 

Griffin’s start will be the exact opposite. Three days ago, the Guardians traded four prospects to the Nationals in exchange for Griffin, who was an All-Star with the Nationals and has a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts this season. 

And even if Griffin’s addition means the Guardians will lose their distinction of using the same five starters in every game not impacted by mother nature, their rotation’s consistency has been one of the biggest reasons why the Guardians have hung around the American League postseason picture. 

Foster Griffin has made the Guardians' rotation even stronger

The first Griffin-related change came on Tuesday when Slade Cecconi made his first career relief appearance for the Guardians. He allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. 

Cecconi had been the odd man out in the Guardians’ rotation all season, so the addition of Griffin is a clear upgrade. 

And it may be an upgrade in more ways than one, as Cecconi’s aforementioned relief outing showed just how dangerous he can be out of the bullpen. He threw both his cutter and fastball nearly two miles per hour faster than his season average, and seemed to attack hitters with a bit more consistency. 

But Cecconi’s relief outing is secondary to the clear advantage the Guardians have in the form of their rotation. 

Any Guardians postseason berth seems destined to come with a berth in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three series played over the course of 72 hours. 

Assuming everyone’s healthy in the Guardians’ rotation by the time the postseason rolls around, the Guardians could pick between the foursome of Messick, Williams, Bibee and Griffin while slotting the odd man out into the bullpen. 

Last year the Guardians were forced to rely on a piggyback of Cecconi and Cantillo in the deciding Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Tigers. It could be a different story this year. 

The addition of Griffin also gives the Guardians a chance to figure out what the future of the rotation looks like. 

While Griffin is on an expiring contract (but stands out as an obvious extension candidate), Messick, Williams, Bibee, Cantillo and Cecconi are all under team control in 2027. 

This could be a two month experiment, should the Guardians choose. 

Even if the Guardians’ offense is a clear (and understandable) flashpoint among the fan base, the pitching staff has been quietly dominant and will be a clear advantage in the postseason. 

Now the Guardians just need to get there.

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