The Atlanta Braves have been here before with Vaughn Grissom. The former top prospect was the centerpiece of the Chris Sale trade. Sale, of course, went on to win the 2024 NL Cy Young award and is the centerpiece of Atlanta’s rotation, along with Spencer Strider.
Grissom hasn’t had the same luck in Boston, whether it be injuries or struggles at the MLB level. This week, Grissom openly questioned the Red Sox’s front office for keeping him in the minor leagues, which should open the door for a trade.
“It’s a weird one because I don’t really expect much more opportunity here just because decisions that were made were made, and it kind of didn’t involve me,” Grissom said on Tuesday at Polar Park. “So there’s not much that I can do. I mean, all those decisions and stuff, they make sense in a way, but I guess it sucks a little bit. But, I mean, it is what it is.”
This story is all too familiar for Grissom. He has dominated with the WooSox, and emerged as one of Boston’s best Triple-A hitters in his time in Worcester. However, each time he is called up to the big leagues, he struggles mightily at the plate or gets hurt.
Braves fans are all too familiar with this narrative.
Should the Braves trade for former prospect Vaughn Grissom?
With Grissom now emerging as a possible trade candidate following such candid comments, one team in need on controllable infield help could be his former organization in Atlanta.
Ozzie Albies has taken a noticeable step back this year, and the Braves still don’t have much of an answer at shortstop.
Any trade for Grissom wouldn’t be all that expensive.
Harris is a top-30 prospect in the Braves system, but he is also 26 years old and far from a big-league regular. He is probably the best-served remaining in Triple-A.
Yet, the Red Sox will need reliable arms, even if only for spot starts, down the stretch if they hope to make the postseason. Perhaps Harris can fit that mold.
What the Braves would gain in a Vaughn Grissom trade
Grissom comes with a lot of flaws – he is not a reliable infielder defensively and hasn’t provided regular contributions at the plate in the big leagues in quite some time.
However, he is a familiar entity for the Braves and they don’t have much left to play for in 2025. Why not take a swing and see if Grissom can rediscover his under Brian Snitker. If not, Atlanta is right back where they started, but with Sale already in hand.
The Braves shouldn’t make acquiring Grissom a priority. They know what he is at this point. Yet, given their middle infield struggles this season, if Craig Breslow calls, Anthopoulos shouldn’t hang up the phone.
