2 Braves trade rumors we hope are true, 1 we hope doesn’t happen

Braves Rumors: Vaughn Grissom is their best trade asset

There are plenty of prospects the Braves should hold onto. Their farm system is depleted, but Alex Anthopoulos and the scouting department has done what they can to rebuild in the draft, all the while the major-league roster continues to produce young stars. It’s rather astonishing, when you think about it — just about every top prospect Atlanta has traded away hasn’t amounted to All-Star status, too.

AJ Smith-Shawver, for example, already has MLB experience at the age of 20. He entered MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects seemingly out of nowhere. Owen Murphy, the team’s 2022 first-round pick, is just 19 and on the periphery of such a list as well. These young Braves won’t see big-league action regularly for some time, but they aren’t lottery tickets. Anthopoulos knows what he’s doing.

Vaughn Grissom, however, is expandable. As sad as it is, Grissom hasn’t lived up to his end of the bargain defensively. Grissom worked out with Ron Washington this offseason with the hope he would replace Dansby Swanson at shortstop.

Instead, Orlando Arcia has done that and then some. Anthopoulos acquired Nicky Lopez just a few days ago from the Royals, who is signed through 2025 and can play three positions on the infield, including shortstop. He’s be a solid backup. Meanwhile, Braden Shewmake and take the reins in Triple-A, which makes Grissom a valuable, yet expendable prospect.