I adore this trade. Easily the most I’ve agreed with any decision made by a Red Sox executive since the Bogaerts extension back in 2019, and nothing else is remotely close.
Grissom should be a pretty good bet to cover 2b for the next 6 seasons. Were none eligible to be ranked as a prospect, he’d likely be either 3rd or 4th in the system right now.
Here’s the odd thing - I also think this makes sense for Atl. They’re an almost sure fire playoff team, and at most they are depending on Sale to be maybe SP5 (Strider, Fried, Morton, Elder and Sale). His upside is of course immense, but if he pitches his customary 12 games, they also have AJ Smith Shuster waiting in the wings.
Grissom is an excellent hitter (I liked the Pedroia lite comparison) but isn‘t capable of handling SS defensively. He cannot be moved to 2b because of Albies. I think he would have been fine as a Benintendi like LF, but their line up is so disgustingly good that he can be moved for the upside (even like a 20% chance they get it) of Sale.
But Breslow moved one season of Chris Sale (on a team that is / was highly unlikely to make the playoffs anyway) for a built in 2b of the future that could shift to LF if need be. I do find it odd for anyone to say he “doesn’t have the bat” to be a corner OF.
At 21 he had a 146 wRC+ in A+, a 147 wRC+ in AA and at 22 in AAA it was a 135 wRC+. For comparison, Casas (I think we all like) had a 142 wRC+ in AA at 21 and a 127 wRC+ at age 22 in AAA. So at each stop, at the same age and same level, Grissom was a better offensive player than Casas. He just provided that value much differently.
I adore this deal so much that it makes me feel bad about complaining about only giving Gio a one year deal. If the Red Sox do literally nothing else this off season, I’d give the off-season on the whole a B grade. This is the most inspired, ballsy, well thought out move I’ve seen the Red Sox make in half a decade. It’s awesome.
Aside - a really close friend is a huge Braves fan. He is livid…