Trade for Jarred Kelenic Doesn't Mean Vaughn Grissom Has to be Dealt
With the Atlanta Braves possibly solidifying the left field spot for years to come, it feels like Vaughn Grissom could be traded next.
After the trade on Sunday night between the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners, Alex Anthopoulos said they were likely done addressing left field this offseason.
He also mentioned that Vaughn Grissom would be in competition with Kelenic for the starting job. While that could likely play out, it seems likely that Kelenic is a huge favorite to win the job.
As Lindsay says in this podcast reacting to the trade, it feels more likely that the player who has played outfield his entire career has a leg up over a career infielder in Vaughn Grissom.
Even before the trade, it's been highly speculated that Vaughn Grissom could be dealt this offseason.
Reasons to Keep Vaughn Grissom
The bat of Grissom has been ready for the major league level for a while. He showed it in his rookie season filling in a second base and holding his own as a 21-year-old.
He has nothing left to prove in the minors and deserves a chance in the big leagues.
The Braves don't have a place for him in the field unless they believe he's made enough progress defensively at short. Even the discussion of potentially moving him to the outfield would leave you to believe he didn't show enough improvement at shortstop in 2023.
For a while now, to me at least, Grissom's ultimate value has been as a super-utility player -- someone like Chris Taylor for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The main reason for keeping Grissom would be because of his versatility (assuming he handles moving to the outfield) and the bat.
Having Grissom as a super utility guy off the bench would allow you to give guys some rest, play matchups, and have a built-in backup ready to go in case of injury.
Reasons to Trade Grissom
Shortstop and DH are the only positions available going forward and it seems like the Braves don't believe enough in the glove to put him at shortstop, and the offensive profile doesn't typically fit what you get from a DH.
The only real reason to trade Grissom is if you have an opportunity to make a significant upgrade to the rotation and a team values Grissom highly enough to lead a trade package for said pitcher.
If there is a team desperate for help on the infield and they love the offensive profile of Grissom and are willing to give up a top-of-the-rotation pitcher for him, then I wish Grissom the best with his new team.
But otherwise, there isn't really a great need to move Grissom. As stated above, he still provides tremendous depth for your team.
While the Braves are covered at every position, there isn't much behind them in the system you can trust.
Grissom gives you one player that if Orlando Arica, Ozzie Albies, or Kelenic get hurt, you feel comfortable inserting Grissom into the lineup.
You don't have to trade Vaughn Grissom just because you go Kelenic or because you don't have a spot for him currently.
He's still cost-controllable with multiple minor-league options.
So unless he's the missing piece in a trade for a frontline starter with years of control (or one you can trade for and extend), it makes more sense to keep Grissom than to trade him.
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