Whether you agree with it or not, the Boston Red Sox don't seem to have a plan for Vaughn Grissom. He has played second base, third base, shortstop, and even a decent amount of first base this season.
Despite that, they seem to be giving everyone a chance on the major league roster except Grissom. His numbers in Triple-A aren't great, but there are a decent number of positives that would suggest giving him a shot isn't the worst idea in the world.
If the Red Sox aren't going to use Grissom, what could they get for him? Certainly, some teams could use someone who can play all over the infield and provide a solid bat from the right side of the plate.
The Seattle Mariners need some infield help. Rowdy Tellez and Donovan Solano are their two healthy first basemen. Tellez is hitting .187 with six home runs and 19 RBI. He's grossly outperforming Solano in all three of those categories. Jorge Polanco has been incredible. J.P. Crawford and Dylan Moore have both been great, but playing above their career numbers, so could they regress to the mean? Meanwhile, Miles Mastrobuoni isn't bringing much to the table.
Grissom would give the Mariners a young infielder they can plug anywhere. He's had some positive moments in the majors and, at the very least, gives them options.
The Mariners have the best catcher in the league in Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh. Harry Ford is their fifth-ranked prospect, and he's crushing it in Triple-A. They can stand to lose one of their catching prospects in exchange for Grissom. That's where we look a bit further down in their minor league system. Seattle's number 21 prospect is catcher Josh Caron.
Red Sox and Mariners should consider a trade involving Vaughn Grissom and Seattle catching prospect Josh Caron
It's not a wild assumption that he doesn't have a big future at the position in the Seattle organization. Raleigh and Ford could realistically be the primary catchers for the next 10-plus years.
Caron was a fourth-round pick for the Mariners in the 2024 MLB Draft. The right-handed hitting catcher has appeared in 32 games between Single-A and High-A since then. In 31 of those games, he's been the catcher.
Caron is a 21-year-old who projects to have above-average in-game power. He's a solid fielder and is already showing improvements in year two.
Caron's slashing .238/.313/.337 with two doubles, one triple, and two home runs in High-A. He's driven in 11 runs, scored 11 and stolen three bases in 26 games.
The Red Sox have Carlos Narvaez in the majors. He has emerged as their clear best option in 2025 and could be the backstop of the future. However, Boston's catching depth in the minor leagues isn't great. Johanfran Garcia is a stud, but suffered a brutal injury early in 2024 and hasn't played since then. It doesn't seem like the smartest move to bank on him returning to form immediately. Having multiple options is always the way to go. Outside of Garcia, Brooks Brannon has potential thanks to great power and athleticism, which has him improving nicely on defense. Those are the two current intriguing names, though.
Caron would immediately help to legitimize the position for Boston. They would also free up a 40-man spot, which would allow them to add someone (maybe one of those top prospects) to the big league roster who isn't currently on the 40-man.
Grissom came to this team with high expectations. It hasn't worked out yet, and that certainly isn't all his fault. Bad timing, injuries, an illness that saw him drop significant weight, and more have all been factors. Giving him a fresh start in a new organization could help revitalize his still-young career. Meanwhile, the Red Sox add to a position of need for the farm system in Caron, who has the potential to turn into a legitimate long-term option at catcher.