The Red Sox made a surprising move last weekend by trading Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for Vaughn Grissom.
Sale dealt with injury issues in the past few years after being a Cy Young candidate during his first two seasons in Boston. Now, Craig Breslow flipped Sale for what could be Boston's second baseman of the future in the 23-year-old Grissom.
Braves TV analyst Nick Green joined Rob Bradford on the Audacy original podcast "Baseball Isn't Boring" and gave a look into what Grissom can bring to the Red Sox.
“I love Vaughn [Grissom], too. Red Sox fans are going to love him,” Green said (14:43 in player above). “I think his best spot’s second base. I think it’s great they give him an opportunity to play every day. This kid can hit."
With Ozzie Albies instituted as the Braves second baseman, Atlanta decided to trade their top prospect for some pitching help.
“I would love to see his bat in the Braves lineup, there just wasn’t a spot for him,” Green continued. “I’m so happy for him. He’s a great kid, hard worker, and a really good player. I’m excited for the fact he gets the opportunity to compete for a job over there.”
Grissom hit .280 with three doubles in 23 major-league games last year while playing most of the season in Triple-A. He thrived there with a .330 average and .921 OPS in 102 games with Gwinnett.
“He works hard. I think he’s a pretty good second baseman,” Green said. “He’s got a little bit of work to do at second but that’s probably his best position. And he can really hit.”
Grissom turned 23 on Friday and has a bright future ahead of him.
“If he played every day he’s going to get better,” Green continued. “I think that if he plays 162 at second base then I think you’re going to see a completely different Vaughn Grissom defensively the following year.”
Grissom should get that chance to be Boston's full-time second baseman in 2024.