Vaughn Grissom might be the biggest trade asset for the Atlanta Braves and the young infielder is doing his team a massive favor ahead of the deadline.
If there is anything that could stop the Atlanta Braves ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline this season, it would be the fact that their farm system has been left somewhat barren in comparison to other potential buyers. That, of course, is the consequence of the fruitful Matt Olson and Sean Murphy trades from the past two offseasons.
Having said that, the post-spring training decision to make Orlando Arcia the replacement at shortstop on the big-league roster over Vaughn Grissom did open the door for the Braves to have an enticing asset in the infielder who was called up at the end of last season and thrived.
Unfortunately for Grissom, when he was called up to the majors earlier this season while Arcia was on the IL, he started hot briefly before cooling off problematically, seemingly diminishing his trade value. Back in Triple-A, though, the 22-year-old is doing some fantastic work to recapture that value on the trade market.
MLB Rumors: Braves seeing Vaughn Grissom helpfully boost trade value
On Sunday night with Gwinnett, Grissom put forth a big-time 3-for-4 night with two doubles a run and an RBI, giving him a .316/.394/.465 slash line for the Stripers this year with two home runs, 31 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Grissom, though still developing defensively in the middle of the infield at shortstop and, to a lesser degree, second base, has proven he can hit well at the major-league level. The development of consistency is key, to be sure, but his age combined with his experience should make him a coveted asset.
That works perfectly for the Braves who, more than likely, will be in the market for pitching at the trade deadline, specifically looking to upgrade the bullpen and perhaps trying to shore up the middle and back end of the starting rotation as well. Without Grissom mashing in Triple-A, that might be harder to make happen.
What Grissom is doing right now, however, is a tremendous boost for Atlanta in the trade market. If they are going to try and take a big swing to upgrade their pitching, they now have an asset who can potentially get sellers to move off of valuable arms in a competitive market.