Red Sox-Angels Vaughn Grissom Trade Looks Like Another Disaster

Apr 21, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) is greeted after hitting a sacrifice RBI against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Red Sox-Angels Vaughn Grissom Trade Looks Like Another Disaster

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 7:00 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

It was yet another tough day for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Boston faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays and Brayan Bello was unable to go deep in the contest. The Red Sox dropped their second straight game against the Blue Jays to lose the three-game series. The Red Sox won three straight games, including the final one of the Alex Cora era, but now have lost two straight and the offense mightily struggled in both.

Despite all of the changes the Red Sox made with the coaching staff, the last two games have looked like most of Boston's contests so far this season. That's why the Red Sox are now 12-19. The offense hasn't cooked and the pitching can only carry a team so far.

If you look around the league, you can see plenty of former members of the team thriving, while Boston struggles itself. For example, take a look at the Los Angeles Angels, for example. Boston acquired infielder Vaughn Grissom ahead of the 2024 season in exchange for Chris Sale. He played in 31 games that season in Boston and slashed .190/.246/.219 after hitting .287 with the Atlanta Braves across 64 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Boston seemingly gave up on Grissom and despite injuries and inconsistencies all over the place in 2025, he never was promoted back to Boston and then the club sent him to Los Angeles.

More Salt In Boston's Wound

Well, now he's thriving. Grissom has played in 13 games for the Angels and is slashing .342/.413/.526 with five RBIs and four doubles. There may not be massive power numbers, but this is a 25-year-old we're talking about. Boston got prospect Isaiah Jackson, who is hitting .238 at High-A Greenville.

Boston gave him up and now he's helping the Angels at first base, second base and third base. In comparison, the 26-year-old Caleb Durbin is the club's starting third baseman and has played in 29 games and is slashing .172/.261/.263 with one homer and 11 RBIs. Who saw that one coming? It's just more bad luck for a team that simply doesn't need any more.

The Red Sox are struggling in the standings and plenty of former members of the team are doing well elsewhere. Plus, injuries keep popping up, like Garrett Crochet landing on the Injured List on Wednesday. Optimism is important in a long, 162-game season. There are going to be ebbs and flows. Right now, it's a pretty big low for Boston.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: