Trade Central: Braves Add Robbie Grossman For Kris Anglin

The Braves added a potentially helpful bench bat in a trade that did not involve sending back a prospect ranked among their top 30 prospects.

BRAVES RECEIVE

Robbie Grossman, OF
Age: 32

A veteran hitter, Grossman is in the middle of his worst MLB season. His power has disappeared this year. He is hitting .205/.313/.281. His average exit velocity (86.9 mph) and max exit velocity (105.4) have dropped significantly from last year, which makes him no longer suitable for an everyday role as a corner outfielder. But the Braves are acquiring him in a very low-cost trade to likely take on a much smaller role. Grossman has hit lefthanders well this year (.364/.479/.520 in 96 plate appearances). It’s just that he’s been so bad against righthanders (.143/.241/.189) that it’s buried the lone bright spot in the switch-hitter’s season. With Atlanta, he’ll slide into a backup role, where he can only be asked to hit lefties.

 

 

TIGERS RECEIVE

Kris Anglin, LHP
Age: 19

A 16th-round pick out of Howard (Texas) JC in 2021, Anglin worked as a starter and reliever at Low-A Augusta before being demoted to the Florida Complex League in early July. Anglin has a below-average high-80s fastball. It has above-average carry, but he needs to develop more velocity to get the pitch to average. The same can be said for his high-70s slider. He’s working on a low-80s changeup, but it’s not a consistent pitch yet. Anglin will likely need to gain strength and additional arm speed to have a path to an MLB role.