Who Is Vaughn Grissom, Prospect Red Sox Acquired In Chris Sale Trade?

The Boston Red Sox followed up Friday’s free agent signing of pitcher Lucas Giolito by trading away left-hander Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday for an infield addition in Vaughn Grissom.

With questions looming around who would take the field at second base in 2024, Grissom, who’s played 64 big league games through the last two seasons, helps address that depth. The 22-year-old joins the Red Sox as the No. 22 ranked prospect in 2020, according to MLB Pipeline, having experience at both second base and shortstop plus some work at third base, with the Braves.

Grissom batted .287/.339./407 with five home runs, nine doubles and 27 RBIs, and even crushed his first-career major league homer at Fenway Park — taking then-Red Sox pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez deep over the Green Monster back on Aug. 10, 2022.

The Braves selected the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Grissom in the 11th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2023, he spent most of the season playing for Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers, compiling a slash line of .330/.419/.501 with eight home runs, 36 doubles, four triples and 61 RBIs in 102 games played.

In preparation for the upcoming 2024 campaign, Grissom has continued playing, joining the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Winter League — reporting earlier this month.

Had it not been for Orlando Arcia — Atlanta’s everyday starting shortstop — the Braves wouldn’t have kept Grissom in the farm system to remain active, making the move to Boston a favorable one for him. The Red Sox have the opening to welcome Grissom with open arms and insert him into a starting role, helping add a right-handed bat to the lineup with some handy defensive versatility if needed.

“It was tough,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said of the trade, according to Lindsay Crosby of Sports Illustrated. “One of the harder guys to move. I called him directly. I think so highly of him, I think everyone in the organization does.”

Anthopoulos added: “It’s a painful (trade) because of how highly we view him, but (Boston is) a much better fit for his career.”

The Red Sox have six years of contract control over Grissom.