Wild change of scenery trade idea has Guardians acquiring player at position of need from Red Sox

With Opening Day a couple of days away, teams across Major League Baseball are evaluating themselves as well as others to see if there are ways to upgrade areas of their roster they might not be the most confident in. A hypothetical trade idea involving the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox would see them mutually benefitting from what would be a change of scenery trade on both sides.

Appearing as part of Last-Minute Blockbuster MLB Trade Pitches Before 2025 Season from Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer, it is suggested that the Guardians could send Triston McKenzie to Boston while Red Sox second baseman Vaughn Grissom comes back to Cleveland.

McKenzie finds himself beginning the season in Cleveland's bullpen, and the pitching-needy Red Sox could definitely use someone to bolster their rotation. Meanwhile, Grissom was optioned to Triple Worcester to begin the season, giving others a chance to be Boston's starting second baseman to open the year. Trading these two for each other could give each team a possible solution to their respective problems, and it would be a conversation worth entertaining should the ballclubs actaully engage in trade talks for both players. 

There is a reason why both players mentioned here are currently in their present situations. McKenzie has struggled mightily over the past two seasons, pitching to a 5.11 ERA, 1.560 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9 during that span. Injuries have not helped matters, and that could have impacted his performance in 2024. However, McKenzie was not particularly impressive this spring (7.50 ERA, 1.833 WHIP, 7.5 K/9), resulting in being relegated to relief duty.

Grissom struggled in his first season in Boston, slashing .190/.246/.219 in 31 games. Granted, a few injuries sustained during the year made it difficult for him to get into any type of groove at the plate, but significantly more was expected from him on Boston's end, having been acquired from Atlanta for Chris Sale. Going 6-34 with six strikeouts and six walks in 13 spring training games was not enough for the Red Sox to consider him in the running for their starting second base job to open the year, with his option to minor league camp not too long ago clear evidence of that.

If the Guardians were to acquire Grissom, it would give them an alternative to Gabriel Arias at second base besides Juan Brito or Daniel Schneemann. Arias won the second base job by default, as he is out of minor league options, while Brito did not do enough to take it from him. Bringing someone like Grissom into the fold may help them navigate the time before Travis Bazzana's Major League Debut with a little more ease.