Rumors regarding the Atlanta Braves do not come along that often because Alex Anthopoulos keeps things under wraps until the deal is official. That does not mean we never get rumors though, because there is always another side. This time, it looks like we are getting news from the Bay Area, where it looks like the San Francisco Giants are looking for some middle infield help.
Kiley McDaniel reported that the Giants were scouting both Vaughn Grissom and Nicky Lopez recently. Conveniently, the Braves just announced they acquired Nicky Lopez in exchange for Taylor Hearn.
#Braves Acquire INF Nicky Lopez: pic.twitter.com/Zn1bWlXhS2
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 30, 2023
Now, McDaniel did report that the Giants were looking for a middle infielder due to their depleted depth because of injuries. He did mention they were looking for one with a steady glove but that does not seem to be a dealbreaker. As we know with Grissom, he is more valuable due to the talent he possesses with his bat, not his glove.
San Francisco recently called up their top prospect Marco Luciano and has him playing second base. Brandon Crawford has been a constant in the lineup for a decade for the Giants, but he is having one of the worst years of his career and he might be approaching the end. Grissom could potentially slide into second base and they could move Luciano over to SS to improve their lineup.
The Giants are also willing to move guys all over the field, something they have really excelled at doing in recent years. This is something most believe would benefit Grissom, turning him into a super utility that could play multiple defensive positions. Maybe his glove is nothing special, but he could give guys days off while playing regularly himself and become a solid hitter at the Major League level.
The Braves would obviously look to improve the major league roster in any deal. The Giants do have an abundance of outfielders that they might be willing to move. The most notable for Braves country will be the fan favorite, pearl necklace wearing, that Moth--- (wait...I can't say that here), Joc Pederson
The Braves might also want a pitcher. Luke Jackson also fits the bill of an old Braves friend. Coming off Tommy John, Jackson has only seen 10.1 innings, but he has been typical elite Luke Jackson with a 1.74 ERA, 1.90 xERA, 1.35 FIP, 2.76 xFIP, and 2.54 SIERA.
The Braves might also look for a backend pitcher like Alex Cobb or Alex Wood. However, I would imagine there would be more moving parts there.
The trade deadline always brings some fun rumors. We will have to stay tuned to see if there is any fire behind the smoke coming from this rumor. Until then, stay tuned to House That Hank Built for updates.