We always talk about who the Atlanta Braves should trade for and who the Braves should consider trading, but what about the players the Braves should have traded earlier? The ones who lost value?
Trading players, especially prospects, can sometimes be viewed as playing the stock market. Buy good players for cheap, like Jorge Soler. Sell guys at their highest values, like Bryce Ball, to improve the Major League team.
How about we look at a few that the Braves should or should have traded a bit earlier.
Vaughn Grissom
He is arguably the best trade chip the Braves have at the 2023 trade deadline, but there is no denying that Vaughn Grissom's value was at its highest during the most recent offseason.
Coming off a great 2022 campaign which saw him jump from AA to the Majors and provide an immediate impact. While he did slow down toward the end, we got a glimpse of what made him a valued prospect. The bat has the potential to be special in the Majors.
He did get figured out a bit but for a guy who had 98 plate appearances, it was impressive. Of course, there were still kinks to work out, especially on defense. The Braves believed in him though, and there was some thought that he could be the Braves starting shortstop in 2023. He started the year in Triple-A, losing the job to Orlando Arcia and when he did get to the Majors, his defense was an issue.
He was sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett and is still playing shortstop for the Stripers but it does appear that his future in the Majors will not be at the shortstop position. However, the bat is still good and provides plenty of reasons to love Grissom. In Triple-A, he is hitting .322/.398/.471 3 HR, 46 R, 40 RBI, and 11 SB with a .388 wOBA & 120 wRC+. The quality of contact metrics like his game as well.
He will have to find a defensive home but he will still have some appeal to some teams. A rebuilding team could give him the time at the MLB level to get right. That's something a contending team like the Braves cannot afford late into a season. Maybe the Braves still believe in him long-term and will stash him in Gwinnett and give him another run in 2024?
Whatever the case, the value is certainly not what it was 6 months ago.