ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Angels improved their infield depth on Tuesday, acquiring former top prospect Vaughn Grissom from the Red Sox for Minor League outfielder Isaiah Jackson.
The Angels are taking a chance on Grissom, who has struggled offensively over his first three years in the Majors and is out of Minor League options. But he can play multiple positions, including second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield, giving the Angels a possible replacement for free agent Luis Rengifo.
“He’ll come in and compete,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “He’s a former Top 100 prospect. I was with Atlanta when we drafted him. He’s talented and has a contact bat, which is something we're looking for. But no promises. Just come in and compete and we’ll see.”
TRADE DETAILS
Angels get: INF Vaughn Grissom
Red Sox get: OF Isaiah Jackson (LAA's No. 25 prospect)
Grissom, 24, had a solid rookie season with the Braves as a 21-year-old in '22, hitting .291/.353/.440 with five homers, five stolen bases and 18 RBIs in 41 games. But he batted .280/.313/.347 with no homers and nine RBIs in 23 games in '23 and was traded to Boston for Chris Sale prior to the 2024 season.
Grissom, though, had a tough time with the Red Sox, batting .190/.246/.219 with no homers and six RBIs in 31 games and didn't play in the Majors in 2025. He batted .270/.342/.441 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs in 96 games with Triple-A Worcester before his season ended after being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in early September.
Grissom, however, is currently healthy and Minasian believes a change of scenery will be beneficial to Grissom. The Angels had their eye on him for several years and was a favorite of former Angels manager Ron Washington from his time as a coach in Atlanta.
“Sometimes guys need to change the scenery,” Minasian said. “And obviously, he was a highly regarded prospect at one time. And was traded for a big-time player and all those things. Sometimes things don't work out in one place and there's a better fit in another. So, we're hoping that's the case.”
Minasian also said they’ve already identified a few changes that Grissom can make next season to help get him back to his previous form. He's a career .303/.392/.458 hitter in the Minors, but that consistency hasn't translated yet to the Majors.
“We feel like there's upside to that bat,” Minasian said. “If you ask him, probably the last couple years haven't gone how he's wanted them to go. But still, he’s 24 years old and still has a ton of upside, and was somebody we felt like we should take a shot on.”
The addition of Grissom doesn’t change the club’s plans to add another infielder, as they’re still looking for a third baseman or possibly a second baseman with Anthony Rendon expected to be out again next year after his hip surgery last year.
“Whether it's third or second, we're active everywhere for the most part,” Minasian said. “We didn't have the year we wanted to have. So there's a lot of opportunity to make the team better whether it's rotation, bullpen, infield or outfield.”
The Angels are also open to moving former first-round pick Christian Moore from second base to third base if they feel like they find a better fit at second. But Grissom figures to be more of a bench player, barring a breakout season. They also have Oswald Peraza on their roster as a utility infielder as well.
“We're definitely open to it,” Minasian said of Moore playing third. “It’s something he's experimented with in the past with us, so we're definitely open to it. Just depends on the hit at second and who's out there. We're going to take the rest of the offseason to continue to hopefully add quality players with upside.”
Jackson, meanwhile, was the club's eighth-round pick in the 2025 Draft out of Arizona State and batted .219 with a homer and four RBIs in 10 games with High-A Tri-City in 2025. He was the Angels' No. 25 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and was replaced on the list by outfielder Raudi Rodriguez, who had a big year in the Minors and Arizona Fall League.
“It was tough to trade him,” Minasian said. “We liked him in the Draft, but I give credit to our staff. To be able to take a pick in the ninth round and turn that into what we believe is a big league player with upside is a credit to them.”