Red Sox Trade Idea Dumps Vaughn Grissom To Guardians For 190-Strikeout Righty

Major League Baseball moves quickly, and for Boston Red Sox infielder Vaughn Grissom, a lot has changed in the past year.

Mar 13, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox second base Vaughn Grissom (5) rounds third base and scores during the second inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Grissom went from being traded for Chris Sale to Boston's presumptive starting second baseman of the future to multiple minor-league demotions in the last 15 months. He never made a strong charge at the second base job this spring, batting .176 in 40 plate appearances, and will begin the year in Triple-A.

With top prospect Kristian Campbell taking over the second base job, the path forward for Grissom in Boston suddenly looks bleak. Campbell is younger, has a higher upside at the plate, and reached a level of prospect pedigree Grissom never did, which is bound to earn him some leeway.

Manager Alex Cora already hinted at the possibility Grissom could be traded last week. But which team might emerge as a partner?

On Friday, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer proposed a hypothetical one-for-one swap: Grissom for Cleveland Guardians right-handed pitcher Triston McKenzie.

"Grissom's flop this spring opened the door at second base for Kristian Campbell, who will start the season as a contender for the AL Rookie of the Year," Rymer wrote.

"Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford are opening the year on the IL, a rather rough introduction for a rotation that is high on upside and low on durability. McKenzie would at least be another option, and he has some upside in his own right. He had a sub-3.00 ERA over 191.1 innings in 2022, and he's still just 27."

There are some definite parallels between Grissom and McKenzie, as the latter has been thrust into bullpen duties after Cleveland sent him to Triple-A for half of the 2024 season. But McKenzie has at least flashed big-league potential--he struck out 190 batters three years ago, which would have led Boston's staff in any of the past three seasons.

Once one of the three aforementioned Boston starters gets healthy, though, McKenzie would likely find himself in the bullpen for the Red Sox, too.

That doesn't mean this trade shouldn't be in consideration, but they shouldn't be expecting 2022 Triston McKenzie to show up, especially if Cleveland seems willing to let him go.