The Braves have already made two minor trades but, if they make a bigger splash, an insider has reported who the most likely player to move will be.
It remains to be seen if the Atlanta Braves feel that they adequately addressed the need for bullpen depth already with their Monday deals for Pierce Johnson (Rockies) and Taylor Hearn (Rangers) a week before the MLB trade deadline. What's clear, however, is that the Braves aren't done dealing.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) gave a rundown of the upcoming deadline in his trade deadline cheat sheet and noted that the Braves could still look for another reliever if the opportunity presents itself, but could also still be in the market for starting pitching and for lineup depth, perhaps looking at Adam Duvall.
What has long been the question for Atlanta, however, has been who they would deal to make any substantial trade. They avoided that question with Johnson and Hearn, two guys in the minors who came at little-to-no cost at all. For a bigger move, though, who is going to be dealt?
MLB insiders for The Athletic (subscription required) Sam Blum, C. Trent Rosencrans, and Cody Stavenhagen reported the most likely player to be traded from each team at the deadline. And for the Braves, the insiders named the obvious suspect: Vaughn Grissom.
MLB Rumors: Braves most likely to deal Vaughn Grissom in trades, per insider
Grissom drew plenty of fan interest last season when he was called straight up from Double-A amid injuries to Ozzie Albies and more to play second base. With Dansby Swanson's departure this offseason, many considered him the leader to take over at shortstop. That, however, didn't transpire.
Orlando Arcia won the job and, though Grissom served as the call-up when Arcia was injured in late April, his defense proved a bit problematic, though he did hit .277 in 19 games for the Braves. In Triple-A Gwinett, he's continued to impress with his bat, hitting .320 with an .863 OPS.
Having said that, with Arcia and Albies both locked up for the next four seasons, at minimum, and prospect Braden Shewmake also in the mix, Grissom is ultimately an expendable piece for the Braves, even with a weakened farm system.
With some MLB experience and some proven offensive production, though, any team looking for potentially MLB-ready middle-infield upgrades could jump at the opportunity to land Grissom, thus giving the Braves the starting pitching help (at least likely) that they need to bolster the rotation.
Obviously, the risk is that the trade could backfire on Atlanta given that Grissom just turned 22 years old in January. With that said, if the Braves see a move that will cost a prospect of Grissom's caliber in order to solidify the team's World Series chances even further, you have to believe that's a risk that Anthopoulos would be willing to take.
