Alex Anthopoulos opens up about 'emotional' Vaughn Grissom trade for Braves

The Atlanta Braves traded Vaughn Grissom to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Chris Sale. By now we know the details. Yet, Grissom has spent the entirety of his career with the Braves organization, and Atlanta (at one point) viewed him as their shortstop of the future once Dansby Swanson left for the Chicago Cubs.

All of these details are important when considering how Alex Anthopoulos felt when he traded Grissom to the Red Sox, where he will get a chance to compete for the second base job. In Atlanta, Grissom didn't have an open spot, which speaks to the depth of their lineup in general.

"You're not going to find a better human being. The makeup is a good as they get. High energy player (who) makes people around him better," Anthopoulos said.

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos gets emotional about Vaughn Grissom

Anthopoulos has backed Grissom on multiple occasions, so it's no surprise that he felt remorse upon trading the former top prospect.

"It was really emotional," for Grissom, Anthopoulos told us. "Any time you get traded for the first time, especially by the organization you're drafted (and) developed by and have strong relationships," that's to be expected. "It sucks".  

Realistically, however, there was little room for Grissom on the Braves roster. They tried to convince Grissom to play more outfield due to their corner outfield void, but that was not good enough. The corner outfield spot is now covered by Jarred Kelenic and Marcell Ozuna when he is not DH'ing.

"We're obviously having him play a little bit in the outfield just to find more at-bats for him, because he's obviously ready to be an everyday player. That's a big league (bat) right now and this is a great opportunity for his career," Anthopoulos continued.

The Braves had the best lineup in baseball history last season. I am not exaggerating, as the stats back that up. That also means tough decisions loom, and Grissom is just one of those.