When Alex Anthopoulos informed Vaughn Grissom that the Braves were working to acquire a starting pitcher and that he needed to be traded for it to occur, Grissom responded like only he could.
“I could pitch, Alex,” Grissom told the Braves’ president of baseball operations.
“And that’s Vaughn,” Anthopoulos said. “And he’s a joker and serious at the same time.”
All along, it seemed destined to happen.
On Saturday, it finally did.
The Braves dealt Grissom to the Red Sox in a trade that netted Chris Sale – and $17 million to offset Sale’s 2024 salary. Grissom didn’t appear to have a clear role, which made him seem like a prime trade candidate if the Braves swung a deal.
“He’s going to be a fantastic fit there,” Anthopoulos said of Grissom. “It’s a painful one because of how highly we view him. But it’s a much better fit for his career. But again, you have to give to get. Ideally, you keep all the players you love and move the other ones, but we weren’t going to be able to get a guy like Chris Sale unless Vaughn was the guy going the other way.”
Of his conversation with Grissom, Anthopoulos said this Saturday over Zoom: “It was really emotional for him. It was hard for me as well. I’m really fond of him, and I’m not alone of him. I can’t speak highly enough about him. That’s what made it a more challenging call to make because I’m so fond of him. So fond of the person, his character. He’s a really special kid. … I think he’s going to have a fantastic career. It’s tough. It’s tough to part with a player like that.”
If you closely follow the Braves, you could see Grissom’s situation headed this way.
The Braves acquired Jarred Kelenic to be their left fielder. They brought in David Fletcher to be their utility infielder. And at this point, Orlando Arcia is the starting shortstop, and Ozzie Albies is the starting second baseman.
The Braves, Anthopoulos said, planned to find ways to get Grissom’s bat into the lineup. But barring injuries, it might’ve been difficult.
Plus, Grissom was the Braves’ top position player prospect. It seemed likely the Braves would need to part with him to get an impactful deal done – especially when you consider that their area of need, starting pitching, has been rather expensive in free agency this winter.
Of course, there are humans involved in this. Business can be difficult.
Anthopoulos drafted Grissom. His organization developed Grissom.
And for Grissom, the Braves were the only team he knew.
“There isn’t really enough I can say about the training staff, strength staff, coaching staff, (clubhouse staff), front office, media, the fans, grounds crew, the chefs, (and) most importantly my teammates and the legends like Chipper (Jones) and (Terry) Pendleton who have constantly poured wisdom and love into me and my family since the draft,” Grissom wrote in a post on X, which formerly was Twitter. “From the group who drafted me to the group who inherited me, the way that I was treated was incredibly professional and I am super blessed to have been given an opportunity throughout my process and will always be thankful for that. For the fans I want to say thank you for all the memories and showing real support, no matter what.”
Drafted in the 11th round in 2019, Grissom quickly rose through the system and debuted in 2022. In 216 at-bats with the Braves in 2022 and 2023, he hit .287 with a .746 OPS. His defense could use improvement, but he’ll only be 23 years only when spring training hits.
Grissom, who still has six years of control, should have more of an opportunity to play regularly in Boston. This trade is probably best for his development and career.
Anthopoulos raved about the player he traded.
“The makeup is as good as it gets,” Anthopoulos said. “High-energy player, makes people around him better. Can flat (out) hit. Tremendous bat-to-ball skills. We were obviously having him play a little bit in the outfield, just to find more at-bats for him, because he’s absolutely ready to be an everyday player at the big-league level right now. This is a great opportunity for him and his career. I don’t want to speak for the Red Sox and their plans for him, but my understanding is he’ll get a great opportunity there.
“But look, we’re in a position where we were trying to get a starter. I would’ve loved to have done a deal for less, I would’ve loved to have kept him and traded somebody else. That just wasn’t going to happen, in our conversations.”
Keeping Sale healthy
Between 2020 and 2022, Sale made only 11 starts. The Braves assumed a lot of risk in the trade because of his injury history.
They feel confident they can keep him healthy.
“The last few years, obviously he’s had (injured list) time and so on. You can’t run from that,” Anthopoulos said. “But we feel like this is the first normal offseason he’ll have had in a long time. But at the same time, he’s coming off 100 innings pitched last year, so we’ll still be mindful of that.”
Sometimes, pitchers skip bullpens. Other times, they get an extra day before their next start.
Manager Brian Snitker and pitching coach Rick Kranitz certainly will monitor Sale. Perhaps he won’t pitch deep into a game. The Braves know they cannot run starters into the ground.
Many of their pitching decisions are made with this adage in mind: A baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.
Close to the complex
Sale lives in Naples, Florida, which is about an hour and a half from North Port, where the Braves hold spring training.
Anthopoulos said Sale already asked him when he could throw at the facility. Sale already is throwing bullpen sessions.
Cy Young-caliber
Sale used to be one of baseball’s top starting pitchers. For six seasons in a row, from 2013-18, he finished in the top five in American League Cy Young Award voting. He was the runner-up in 2017.
He never took home the award, but he was one of the sport’s dominant arms.
