Red Sox add talented infielder in Chris Sale deal
Craig Breslow continued to reshape the Red Sox roster with a blockbuster deal on Saturday afternoon. The Red Sox traded Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for Vaughn Grissom. While the move surprised many, Boston is adding a talented player in Grissom.
Since making his MLB debut during the 2022 season, Grissom has appeared in 64 games and posted a .287 batting average. In that span, he has driven in 27 runs and added 15 extra-base hits to his resume. The Orlando native will now get the opportunity to be the starter at second in Boston.
While Grissom’s path to regular at-bats was blocked in Atlanta, he is a highly regarded prospect. He was an on-base machine in the minors with a .320 batting average in 329 games. Due to his ability to get on base, his stock has skyrocketed since the Braves drafted him in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
Although the acquisition of Grissom comes at the cost of a seven-time All-Star in Sale, Breslow has shown that he is not afraid to make bold moves. The Hagerty High School product has six years of control and has performed well against big-league pitching.
Despite his success, the 22-year-old has struggled defensively at times. Grissom was given the chance to be the shortstop of the future in Atlanta but fell behind Orlando Arcia on the depth chart in 2022. That led to him getting some reps in the outfield. However, the addition of Jarred Kelenic meant that there would be fewer at-bats to go around.
With Grissom in the mix, he joins a talented infield that consists of Trevor Story, Rafael Devers, and Triston Casas. While the Red Sox still have room for improvement, they have added a talented player at a position of need.
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