3 Atlanta Braves who won't be back despite surviving 2023 MLB Winter Meetings

Braves who won't be back: Vaughn Grissom

I am bullish that Vaughn Grissom will one day be a regular MLB player somewhere. With the Braves, he's a bit of a liability defensively, and has proven incapable of playing shortstop at the big-league level. This offseason, Anthopoulos spoke of the possibility of moving Grissom to a corner outfield spot if necessary. Yet, that need is now gone after trading for Kelenic, assuming the Braves believe in him as much as AA said initially.

Grissom has reported to the Puerto Rican league, where he will get some work in this winter. However, as mentioned above with Wall, the signing of Leury Garcia gives the Braves more depth at the outfield position. Unlike Wall, Grissom is talented enough to be included in a trade package for some starting pitching. As FanSided's John Buhler noted, Grissom's bat can only take him so far in Atlanta:

"The biggest reason why Grissom has had staying power in Atlanta to some degree over the last two years has been the allure of his bat. At times, it can be quite promising. In other instances, it drops to league average. With a below-league-average glove at pretty any position he plays at, you can understand why Grissom could be squeezed out, especially if Kelenic runs away with the left field job...Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is up to something, but he wants to improve left field first."

Perhaps a platoon opportunity will open up for Grissom as a corner outfielder in Atlanta. If not, though, I'd expect him to be moved before Opening Day. He's one of the few young assets the Braves should be willing to part with.