The 2025-26 free agent class featured a long list of pitchers from Asia. They brought a variety of resumes and asking prices but were often lumped together during offseason negotiations. Left hand Foster Griffin he was one of the less heralded members of the group. Despite the lack of performance, he started very well.
Griffin came to the Nationals on a one-year, $5.5MM deal. A first-round draft pick in 2014, Griffin made brief stops with the Royals and Blue Jays in parts of two seasons. After six MLB appearances in 2022, he attended Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Griffin put together three solid campaigns with the Yomiuri Giants. The lefty posted a 2.57 ERA with a 25.1% strikeout rate in 54 appearances (53 starts). Griffin missed time in 2025 with a leg injury that limited him to 78 innings. He was very good when healthy, posting a 1.62 ERA backed by a 2.35 xFIP.
With six starts, Griffin basically looks like the person he was during his NPB tenure. It’s a 2.67 ERA with decent strikeouts and a low walk rate. The biggest difference has been the home runs, as Griffin has hit five deep in 33 2/3 innings. His worst home run average per nine innings in Japan was a 0.69 mark in 2024. That number is up to 1.34 for Washington. The increase in long balls makes sense given the league context of MLB compared to NPB.
Griffin returned to big league action with almost twice as many pitches as he did in his last MLB season. The lefty has added a sweeper, sinker, and splitter to a repertoire that includes a four-seamer, cutter, curveball, and switchup. He always throws them all away, too. Griffin used all seven of his pitches at least 7.8% of the time. Cutter leads the way at 30.1%, but no other Griffin offering has a usage rate higher than 16%.
A diverse arsenal helped Griffin limit the damage, even with a fastball that averaged 91 mph. His 37.9% strikeout rate and average exit velocity of 88.9 mph are square league average. Griffin’s 12.6% slugging percentage is concerning and may explain the high home run numbers. The lefty’s 3.94 xFIP and 3.95 SIERA suggest he won’t be a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher for long, but the ingredients are there for Griffin to stabilize a rotation without many reliable arms.
The Nationals have filled their pitching staff with cheap veterans all around Cade Cavalli again Jake Irwin. Zack Littell (one year, $7MM) and Miles Mikolas (one year, $2.25MM) joined Griffin as experienced arms capable of eating up innings. Littell allowed a league-leading 13 home runs, four more than any other pitcher. Mikolas has been hammered for 15 runs in his first two outings. He has since been moved into a major relief role, though he did start against the Mets today. Littell and Mikolas may not be in the rotation long, but going 1-for-3 among a group of free agent pitchers worth less than $15MM combined seems to be winning over new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.
There are certain signs that it may not be sustainable. Griffin has allowed a .233 batting average on balls in play and has a 90.3% strand rate, both very lucky numbers. That’s why other measures like his aforementioned xFIP and SIERA have underperformed his career so far this season. He may have been walking a tightrope in this small sample and could fall at any moment.
Caveats aside, it’s not like the other guys across the Pacific are doing the best. Here’s a quick review of some of the pitchers coming up in Asia this offseason…
Tatsuya Imai, Houston Astros (three years, $54MM)
Imai was one of the biggest starters in the market this winter. MLBTR ranked him No. 7 on its annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. The righty got his first MLB win with 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Athletics, but that outing was punctuated by two disastrous starts against the Angels and Mariners. Imai was ejected in the first inning at Seattle after walking four and being hit by a pitch. He immediately went into IL with right arm fatigue.
Cody Ponce, Toronto Blue Jays (three years, $30MM)
Ponce came in at No. 39 on our list of top free agents. He pitched in the NPB and the Korea Baseball Organization for the past four seasons. Ponce’s long-awaited MLB return was marred by a knee injury in his first start. He came up limping after reaching for a ground ball and was diagnosed with a torn ACL. Ponce pitched well in MLB Spring Training, but his 2026 MLB sample will consist of only 2 1/3 innings.
Ryan Weiss, Houston Astros (one year, $2.6MM)
It was a bumpy road for Weiss to reach the big leagues. The former Diamondbacks farmhand spent time in the independent Atlantic League, Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League, and the KBO before ending up with the Astros. Weiss has been used extensively in helping for a long time. He recorded a 6.65 ERA over 21 2/3 frames. Weiss has struck out more batters per inning, but has an increased walk rate of 15.1%. He also allowed a home run in six of eight games. Free baserunners and a penchant for homers is a difficult combination.
Anthony Kay, Chicago White Sox (two years, $12MM)
Kay came in with a lot of MLB experience on the team. He pitched in parts of five seasons with the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Mets. Lefty had some hope for a pedigree when he spoke to Toronto in 2019, but the results were often less than stellar. Kay has a 6.12 ERA in six games with the White Sox. He showed improved velocity that put him back on the MLB radar, sitting at 95.8 mph with a four-seamer, but the pitch changed to a .368 BA and .684 SLG.
Drew Anderson, Detroit Tigers (one year, $7MM)
Anderson last pitched in the big leagues with Texas in 2021. He put together a strong MLB Spring Training (0.69 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate) and broke camp as the long man in Detroit’s bullpen. Anderson has struck out opponents at a solid 25.8% clip, but has also been driven in by walks (12.1%) and home runs (1.80 HR/9). The righty has a sub-4.00 xFIP and SIERA, so maybe better days are ahead. He pitched two scoreless innings to get the win over the Braves this afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images
