One of the more lopsided trades of the past offseason has reached a new chapter. The big trade we're speaking of is the one-for-one swap of veteran pitcher and current Brave, Chris Sale, who was acquired by Alex Anthopoulos in exchange for promising infield prospect Vaughn Grissom.
Former top prospect in Atlanta, Vaughn Grissom got the folks out in Boston buzzing with his latest quote. Grissom has struggled to begin his Red Sox tenure, and you can hear the frustration boiling over in his latest answer.
Vaughn Grissom drops NSFW quote about his rough 2024
When Grissom about how his first impression to Boston fans may have been a tough one, he responded with some very transparent thoughts. "If they like it, they like it. If they don't **** it. I'm here for a reason. I'm sure there's a next guy up if they don't like it" Grissom told Boston reporters.
Boston fans have certainly embraced these brash personalities before, but it's going to be harder for Grissom to earn their love until he puts up the numbers to gain their support.
2024 has really just been an injury riddled year for Grissom. He began the year on the injured list, and hit the 10-day IL again in early june with a hamstring strain. When Grissom has been on the field it's been a rough go of things.
Grissom has played in just 23 games this season, and yet to hit his first homer as a Red Sox. His .148/.207/.160 slash line, 1 wRC+, and -0.9 fWAR is among the worst hitters in baseball. Those numbers make you understand why Grissom may feel a little frustrated.
Chris Sale really did strike out 9 of 10 with his slider. The lone non-slider strikeout was his 3-2 changeup to Vaughn Grissom. 8 of those 9 strikeouts, on sliders, were swinging strikes.
— Gaurav (@gvedak) May 9, 2024
We just witnessed a masterclass with the slider. pic.twitter.com/no4slIe95t
Meanwhile, Chris Sale has remained healthy and been one of the very best pitchers in all of baseball. There was even talk of him starting the All-Star Game for the National League before he was moved to pitch last Sunday.
Sale's numbers rank among the best in baseball, and has pushed him into the forefront of NL Cy Young conversations.
Oddly enough, despite the discrepancy in play from the two guys involved in this trade, the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox both currently sit with a 53-42 record. So, there's still hope for Grissom to make turn this trade more into Boston's favor.
I’m rooting for Vaughn to figure things out, but the early returns has made this one of AA’s most lopsided trades yet
— Chase Owens (@chaseowens96) July 16, 2024
Grissom with a .148/.207/.160 slash line, 1 wRC+, -0.9 fWAR in 23 games played
Meanwhile Sale’s MLB rankings: 2.70 xERA (3rd), 2.23 FIP (1st), 3.7 fWAR (2nd) pic.twitter.com/SrZL8mHCPQ
All he has to do is look at a couple of teammates as examples. Triston Casas and Jarren Duran both struggled early on in their arrival to the bigs. However, both players have now flipped the script. Duran even was selected to his first All-Star Game this season.
Vaughn may just need to get healthy and in a rhythm to accomplish the same thing. Chris Sale was asked if he had any advice during All-Star weekend, and he simply told Grissom to stay the course. Everyone knows how talented Grissom is, he just needs to keep chugging along as Sale put it.