Oakland Athletics veteran outfielder Ramon Laureano could be the next player moved from Northern California as the small-market team continues with its rebuild.
Laureano, 28, missed 80 games due to a PED suspension a season ago. He’s also struggled from the plate this season (.236 average, .733 OPS).
With that said, the Dominican Republic native has a history of success from the plate and is one of the better defensive outfielders in the game. He also has the ability to play all three outfield positions and is under team control through the 2024 season. Below, we look at three ideal Laureano trade scenarios ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
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San Diego Padres land upgrade in the outfield
- Oakland Athletics trade: Ramon Laureano
- San Diego Padres trade: Robert Gasser, Victor Lizarraga, Noel Vela
The contending Padres have an issue in the outfield. Current centerfielder Trent Grisham is hitting a mere .190 with a .292 on-base percentage. That’s just not going to cut it against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Meanwhile, right fielder Wil Myers is on the injured list and has been a disaster from the plate.
San Diego must find an upgrade at one of these outfield spots. The good news? Laureano can play both at about a 90 percentile. That’s not hyperbole. His arm and range in the outfield is nearly unmatched. He’s also an upgrade over both at the plate.
From Oakland’s perspective, the rebuilding team acquires three prospects to help rebuild a farm system that still ranks in the bottom 11 of MLB. This hypothetical deal would include Oakland acquiring San Diego’s No. 7 prospect in Robert Gasser. The former second-round pick out of Houston has electric stuff. He’s struck out 109 batters in 86.1 Single-A innings thus far this season.
At 18 years old, Lizarraga is the Padres 11th-ranked prospect. The right-handed starter currently projects as a top of the rotation arm. He’s shown that by striking out 61 batters in as many innings in Single-A Lake Elsinore. Meanwhile, Vela is yet another pitcher with top-end stuff. He’s pitching at high Single-A Fort Wayne this season, having struck out 83 batters in 70.2 innings.
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Milwaukee Brewers land Ramon Laureano in blockbuster trade
- Oakland Athletics trade: Ramon Laureano, Frankie Montas
- Milwaukee Brewers trade: Aaron Ashby, Brice Turang, Dylan File, Cam Robinson
This hypothetical trade offers Milwaukee a true ace in Montas as the team looks to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals in th National League Central moving forward. The better news? Montas is under contract through the 2023 season. He wouldn’t be a rental for the mid-market team.
- Frankie Montas stats (2022): 3-9 record, 3.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 100 strikeouts in 96.2 innings
The Brewers also acquire a player in Ramon Laureano who remains under team control for two seasons after 2022. He’d be an obvious upgrade over veteran Lorenzo Cain (.179 average, .465 OPS in 2022).
In return, the A’s pck up a former top prospect in Aaron Ashby who still boasts ace stuff despite struggling in the bigs. Ashby, 24, won’t be a free agent until 2028 and can take Montas’ spot in the rotation. Last season in Triple-A Nashville, Ashby struck out a whopping 100 batters in 63.1 innings.
A first-round pick back in 2018, Turang is currently Milwaukee’s fifth-ranked prospect. He can play both middle infield spots and is pretty much Major League ready (.281 average, .710 OPS in Triple-A this season). File and Robinson also add to the A’s group of young arms with the former pitching at the highest minor league level and the latter being a potential closer of the future.
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Seattle Mariners pull off rare in-division trade
- Oakland Athletics trade: Ramon Laureano, Zach Jackson
- Seattle Mariners trade: Emerson Hancock, Gabriel Gonzalez, Stephen Kolek
The A’s and Mariners have surprisingly made a few trades in the recent past. We wouldn’t put it past the always-active Jerry Dipoto to kick the tires on this possibility with Seattle in the midst of a 14-game winning streak.
Seattle boasts the longest playoff drought in baseball. It has an open window to contend moving forward. Adding Laureano to the mix in right field next to stud youngster Julio Rodriguez would be a major boon. As we noted above, Laureano has struggled a tad at the plate. But he does have a recent track record of success.
- Ramon Laureano (2019): .288 average, 24 HR, 67 RBI, .860 OPS
Seattle also acquires a late-inning arm in Jackson who has had a resurgence this season. The veteran is pitching to a 2.95 ERA while striking out 51 batters in 36.2 innings.
In return, Oakland nabs Seattle’s No. 5 prospect in Hancock who projects to make the bigs in 2023. The 2020 first-round pick has been awesome in Double-A — pitching to a 2.41 ERA in 10 starts. At 18, Gabriel Gonzalez is the Mariner’s eighth-ranked prospect. He’s as toolsy as they come and is ripping apart lower-level pitching at rookie ball (.367 average, .982 OPS in 2022).