Nationals’ Foster Griffin wants to remain present while his future is uncertain: ‘Nothing’s happened until it’s happened’

DENVER — Foster Griffin is not dwelling on the future.

In the fast-paced world of the major leagues, from the time players are drafted there’s an urge to look for what’s next. The next level. The next promotion. The next payday.

Having a wandering eye can affect the present, so Griffin prefers to stay rooted in his routine even as his name is bandied about in trade rumors for the first time in his career.

“I’ve never really been a part of the rumor mill in the past,” the All-Star Nationals pitcher said Wednesday. “To tell you the truth, I’ve looked too far ahead before and that’s gotten me in trouble.”

Fussing over outcomes that hadn’t materialized doesn’t serve Griffin, who finds solace in the five-day pattern of the starting rotation. The preparation invigorates him, so even with the chaos of the trade deadline, Griffin has remained rooted in his day-to-day process.

“You can get ahead of yourself instead of locking in on your craft and letting the outside things happen however they may happen,” he said.

So, even as the Nationals sit withing reach of a wild-card spot and the franchise’s direction for the Aug. 3 trade deadline is undetermined, Griffin remains unfazed by the uncertainty despite the inescapable trade chatter.

Players approach the trade deadline differently. Some prefer to know if a deal is likely, while others want to remain in the dark until it is official. It’s a stressful time for players as their livelihood can change with one phone call.

President of baseball operations Paul Toboni will likely field exploratory phone calls from teams gauging whether the Nationals would deal the lefty, who is 11-2 with a 2.68 ERA.

Toboni and manager Blake Butera will have conversations with players if a trade is becoming imminent.

“It’s everywhere,” Butera said Monday of trade discussion. “When you get close to the deadline, people start looking over their shoulders a little bit, wondering what’s going on. If I’m having a conversation with a player, they’re assuming the worst and those types of things.”

It’s been a whirlwind for Griffin, going from pitching in Japan to sharing a clubhouse with some of the best players in baseball last week in Philadelphia.

He has gone from undesirable to coveted, and now multiple teams want his services after the Nationals struck gold on his one-year, $5.5 million contract this past offseason. He’s sporting the 12th-best ERA in the majors among qualified starters, and Griffin could be an asset to a contending team in the never-ending search for pitching.

Despite a high possibility that teams will call Toboni about him, Griffin prefers not to seek out trade information.

“I appreciate any sort of transparency,” Griffin said. “That’s how [Toboni’s] choosing to do it, and I really appreciate that. That information’s great to have, but nothing’s happened until it’s happened. It’s good to have the information, but then, like, it doesn’t do any good to spiral on it in your mind because, as the employee, I have no control over it.”​​

But dealing Griffin isn’t cut and dry. Despite the impressive ERA, he doesn’t have the elite velocity of an ace. He succeeds on guile and uses his vast arsenal to keep hitters off balance. He’s similar to Merrill Kelly — who was traded to the Rangers from the Diamondbacks at last season’s deadline.

The Diamondbacks received left-hander Kohl Drake (the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect at the time), left-hander Mitch Bratt (No. 9) and right-hander David Hagaman (No. 13). Drake made his major league debut Tuesday, Bratt has a 5.06 ERA over three starts, and Hagaman is pitching well in High-A.

If a haul like that is available, it’s worth considering for the Nationals. Griffin lacks Kelly’s track record to assuage the velocity concerns. But he attacks the strike zone, limits walks and induces ground balls.

It’s on Toboni to determine if the prospect haul a team offers is worth subtracting from a team that has been competitive for the first time since 2019.

Trading Griffin could be a gut punch to the clubhouse and to fans. Winning big series against impressive teams has been a boon to the culture that Toboni and Butera are trying to establish.

But it’s Toboni’s job to do what’s best for the franchise’s future. He’s tasked with improving the organization’s infrastructure and modernizing its player development systems with the goal of building a sustained winner.

If he believes the prospect capital is worth trading Griffin, then he needs to be convicted in that decision and pull the trigger.

Aside from All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams, Griffin is a target that teams have made calls about. An extension hasn’t been discussed, according to league sources, but Griffin is open to remaining with the team.​

“I’ve really enjoyed my time here, enjoyed the clubhouse, the staff and front office,” he said. “The pitching staff, specifically, I feel like we’ve gotten along great, so we’ll see what happens.”