In what could potentially go down as the most lopsided trade in Braves franchise history, Vaughn Grissom — the one man that went back to the Red Sox in the trade that netted Chris Sale — failed to make Boston’s Opening Day roster in his second year with the team.
The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves:
INF Vaughn Grissom and RHPs Luis Guerrero and Josh Winckowski were optioned to minor league camp.
Catchers Nathan Hickey and Mark Kolozsvary were reassigned to minor league camp.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 19, 2025
At the time of the deal, many were critical of the Braves decision to take a gamble on Sale. He had not been fully healthy in five seasons, and frankly, it was fair to wonder what he might look like if he ever did stay healthy.
The world found out the answer to that question in his first year in Atlanta. Sale was the most dominant pitcher in baseball, winning the NL Triple Crown while running away with the NL Cy Young award, the first of his potential Hall of Fame career. What makes the trade even worse is that not only has Grissom not done anything for the Red Sox, but also Boston paid nearly all of Chris Sale’s salary in 2024, sending the Braves $16 million in the deal.
There’s still hope Vaughn Grissom, who is 24 years old, can eventually figure it out at the major league level. But the Braves are already winners of the trade, and if Chris Sale can stay healthy and finish out his career in Atlanta, it will go down as the best trade in franchise history.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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