Grissom, Red Sox make well-suited match

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Vaughn Grissom has been looking for an opportunity to get regular playing time in the Majors for a couple of years. The Red Sox have been looking for a regular second baseman for much longer than that.

What we might have here is the perfect match.

Grissom had been knocking on the door with the Braves, but he encountered one small problem: That team was loaded from a position-player standpoint and didn’t have regular playing time available for one of the best hitters in their farm system. That left Grissom stuck in Triple-A for probably a year too long.

Recently, Grissom was playing third base and left field in winter ball, hoping to prove to the Braves he could be a super-utility player.

Those plans came to an abrupt end with the Dec. 30 trade that sent Grissom to the Red Sox for Chris Sale.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow immediately endorsed Grissom as someone who would get every chance to be the team’s primary second baseman.

That was music to Grissom’s ears after the media relayed Breslow’s words of confidence.

“I didn't really [hear], but if that was said, that's pretty cool,” Grissom said.

When the offseason started, Grissom suspected he might get traded by the team that selected him in the 11th round of the 2019 Draft. But as the weeks went by and he was expanding his defensive horizons in Puerto Rico, he didn’t really see it coming. And he certainly didn’t expect to be dealt for a seven-time All-Star in Sale.

“Chris Sale, I know he did big things," said Grissom. "'Big' is an understatement, but he did amazing things for the city of Boston, obviously for the Red Sox. And just to be able to get in a shot like that is out of this world. I mean, if you would've told me when I was a child that I was going to get a shot with the Boston Red Sox when I was 23, I would flip out. So obviously, it's just an amazing honor.”

In fact, Grissom just turned 23 this past weekend, calling it his “Jordan year” as an homage to the legendary former basketball player who wore No. 23.

And it was just as the year 2023 was coming to an end that Grissom got the fresh start that could be exactly what he needs.

“Oh yeah,” Grissom said. “I’m really excited about getting this opportunity. Obviously, it would have been awesome to not necessarily play for the Braves, but the team that drafted you and stuff like that, the relationships I made there. But it's part of the game, and I'm really excited to give this organization what I’ve got.”

As for that revolving door the Red Sox have had at second base, it started in 2018 when Dustin Pedroia’s left knee got so bad, his career was essentially over.

Over the last six seasons, the Sox ran the gamut at second, deploying Brock Holt, Eduardo Núñez, Ian Kinsler, Michael Chavis, Marco Hernández, Jonathan Araúz, José Peraza, Tzu-Wei Lin, Christian Arroyo, Kiké Hernández, José Iglesias, Trevor Story (who is now back at his natural position of short), Enmanuel Valdez, Luis Urías and Pablo Reyes, among others.

If Grissom can capitalize on his opportunity, he has a chance to stabilize the position in Boston not just in 2024, but for years beyond that. He isn’t eligible for free agency until after the '29 season.

Grissom already loves the Green Monster. In his Major League debut on Aug. 10, 2022, he scorched a homer that soared over Fenway’s famed left-field wall and onto the street.

“It's pretty funny how full circle the baseball world can be,” Grissom said. “The stadium was the first one that I had played in, seen. And it was just like I was in a dream state. So I have a pretty good recollection of what everything feels like and looks like from second-base standpoint. So it's pretty cool.”

The offense has always been Grissom’s strong suit. Defensively, Grissom is enthused to put in the work needed to get the job done at second.

“I’ll just continue to work,” Grissom said. “I feel like the game, the ingredients never change. It's just working hard at your craft and staying humble. And just keep your head down and going.”