Since the season began, the Atlanta Braves have been dealt several blows. Sporting the worst record in baseball with a frightening 1-8, the once viable World Series hopeful is now staring down a disappointing season so early in their 2025 campaign. But their record isn’t the only concern.
Reynaldo Lopez is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Braves’ one blockbuster offseason move, the signing of free agent Jurickson Profar, has backfired catastrophically. Profar received an 80-game suspension for use of PEDs and is not eligible to play in the postseason.
Right now, the Braves’ postseason aspirations are already fleeting. However, reaching the postseason after such a slow start has been done before; look no further than the 2011 Rays. But if the Braves are going to pull off such a rare feat, they will need to jumpstart their meager offense (a weird thing to say since the 2023 record tying Braves’ offense is strikingly similar to today’s laggardly Braves’ offense). Of course, the Braves’ lineup is without their 2023 MVP, Ronald Acuńa Jr., who is expected to return in the near future. However, if the Braves are going to succeed, they will need to improve their outfield. This brings us to a couple of Atlanta’s biggest problems.
The Braves are not keen on spending money and their farm depth is very shallow. This makes trading for a real difference-maker rather difficult. Luckily, the Yankees have a very affordable option they may be willing to part with.
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Trent Grisham could help solve the Braves’ offensive woes
New York Yankees’ centerfielder, Trent Grisham, doesn’t have a long track record of success. Landing in New York as a part of the Juan Soto deal, Grisham has been used as a backup outfielder during his time in pinstripes. His career batting average of .215 isn’t exactly what any team wants to trade for. More than likely, the Yankees wanted him for his defense. Grisham had won two Gold Gloves with the Padres and has been used as a defensive replacement for Jasson Dominguez in late innings. But since he has seen some regular action this season, Grisham has broken out.
In 21 plate appearances this year, Grisham is hitting .471 with an on-base percentage of .571 and three home runs. As of now, Grisham is performing well above every Braves’ batter. While this may not stay true over the long-term, his case to start games over other Braves’ outfield options such as Bryan De La Cruz and Jarred Kelenic is quite compelling.
With the return of Cody Bellinger, who briefly sat on the bench with back problems, Grisham’s path to playing regularly with the Yankees is seemingly blocked. Should they trade Grisham, this would allow the Yankees to bring up Everson Pereira, who had a good showing in spring training.