Angels are reaping the rewards from an offseason trade fans instantly doubted

The Los Angeles Angels' offseason was underwhelming to say the least, but at least one addition is yielding positive results through the first month of the 2026 campaign. Vaughn Grissom, who was acquired in a trade from the Boston Red Sox this past winter, has gotten off to a red-hot start since being activated from the injured list.

Grissom was shipped to Anaheim in exchange for minor-league outfielder Isaiah Jackson. Grissom was coming off a disappointing season in Boston, where he hit .190/.246/.219 with a 30 wRC+ in just 31 games played. That performance, on the heels of an unproductive season with the Atlanta Braves in 2024, led Boston to unload him for pennies on the dollar.

Grissom was placed on the 10-day IL before Opening Day after suffering a sprained wrist during spring training. The Angels sent him on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake at the end of last month and activated him from the IL on April 11.

Since his return, Grissom has been one of Los Angeles' best hitters. The 25-year-old has appeared in 11 games and is hitting .375/.450/.500 with a 161 wRC+ and a meager 4.9% strikeout rate. He's also walking 14.6% of the time, which would more than double his career 6.6% walk rate if he's able to sustain such a disciplined approach throughout the season.

Angels' infielder Vaughn Grissom is proving the Braves and Red Sox wrong

This is a small sample size, to be sure. But it's difficult to ignore the type of performance Angels' fans have seen from Grissom so far this season. The raw numbers certainly stand out, but his patient approach at the plate is reflective of a player who's learning from previous mistakes and listening to his coaches.

The Angels are second in the league in walks (132) this season, with only the New York Yankees drawing more free passes than the Halos. Ironically, LA leads the league in strikeouts, so it's difficult to actually correlate those two statistics. The Angels are fourth in the league in home runs, meaning they're the very definition of a team with a three-true-outcome mindset.

Nevertheless, Grissom's hot start undoubtedly has the Red Sox and Atlanta Braves second-guessing their decisions to move on so quickly. The Red Sox could certainly use Grissom's presence in their lineup at the moment. Considering, however, that Chris Sale was the player Atlanta received in exchange for Grissom, it's doubtful that they regret that trade with Boston.

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