The Boston Red Sox have a recent history of trades that have come back to bite them, which goes all the way back to Craig Breslow's first move as Boston's chief baseball officer. In December, 2023, he traded longtime ace Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for Vaughn Grissom.
The trade didn't age well in the short-term. Sale posted the best season of his career with Atlanta while Grissom was either injured or in the minor leagues with Boston. Another season in the minor leagues later, and Grissom expressed feelings that he'd been overlooked by the Red Sox organization, leading to his 2025-26 offseason trade to the Los Angeles Angels.
Grissom has been in the big leagues with Anaheim since April 11 with very mixed results. The second baseman slashed .342/.413/.526 in April, but his line has dropped to .233/.308/.379 since. Grissom may well be trending back up after his May 26 performance against the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers had a 6-5 advantage in the eighth inning. Grissom came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, and cracked a grand slam just over the right field wall. The blast gave Grissom his third hit and six RBI on the night.
Former Red Sox infielder Vaughn Grissom's grand slam sends Tigers spiraling to 17th loss in 20 games
VAUGHN GRISSOM GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/u0OCfGiNns
— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2026
Like the Red Sox, the Tigers have been severely disappointing this season. The 2025 playoff team made it to the ALDS for the second year in a row after a brutal collapse in the second half that seems to have continued into this year. Detroit has lost 17 of its last 20 games, which began with a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox. The Tigers have fallen into last place in the American League, with the same 21-34 record as the Angels.
Despite Grissom's offensive turbulence with the Angels, the Red Sox might wish they held onto him this season. The Caleb Durbin trade hasn't worked out the way Boston hoped at all, and his .163/.241/.238 slash line is among the worst in the league for qualified players. Having Grissom as a backup option for Durbin, like Mickey Gasper and Nick Sogard, could've helped the Red Sox fix their offense faster (although it still needs plenty of work).
Shortsighted trades have marked Breslow's tenure as the Sox's CBO, and that reputation doesn't seem like it'll change anytime soon. Meanwhile, Grissom is sending teams to the basement and ending seasons in May.
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