The Milwaukee Brewers have been linked to several names as the MLB trade deadline approaches. This is to be expected. David Stearns admitted in an interview on MLB Network that he and the rest of the front office checks in on every player who comes available. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that many fans are clamoring for Ramon Laureano from the Oakland Athletics to be a trade target for the Brewers. Despite the arguments for acquiring Laureano, the move would be ill-advised on the part of the Brewers.
Laureano has a high trade value
Despite a down season in 2021, Ramon Laureano has a relatively high trade value. This is due to the fact that he has two more years of arbitration left. Additionally, Laureano showed immense potential as a rookie in 2019. That season, he hit .288/.340/.521 with 24 home runs and 67 RBI. For his career, he is hitting .256/.330/.452.
Now, his numbers this year are not nearly as good. In 2022, Laureano is hitting .224/.305/.396 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI. His .701 OPS is between Tyrone Taylor’s .694 and Christian Yelich’s .744. He also severed an 80-game suspension for PED use. This suspension was served toward the end of the last season and the beginning of this one.
That being said, Baseball Trade Values still assign Laureano a trade value of 45.5. The reasons for this high value were discussed in the above paragraphs. These are a very good 2019 season and two more years of club control.
Why the Brewers should not trade for Laureano
To give an example of how high 45.5 is as a trade value, it should be noted that the trade value for Jackson Chourio, the Brewers’ top prospect, is 40.5. Not even Josh Hader has as high of a trade value (15.2). On the major league level, the only players in the vicinity of 40.5 are Freddy Peralta (39.7), Devin Williams (47.2) and Brandon Woodruff (51.9).
It can be understood, then, that in order to acquire Laureano, the Brewers will have to give up some talent they would be better off retaining. In addition to the trade values mentioned in the paragraph above, here are the values of other notable players that would be possible additions to the Brewers’ trade offer:
- Sal Frelick (Brewers No. 2 overall prospect): 18.5
- Garrett Mitchell (Brewers No. 4 overall prospect): 11.1
- Tyrone Taylor: 12.5
- Brice Turang (Brewers No. 5 overall prospect): 12.9
- Luis Urias: 27.2
- Joey Wiemer (Brewers No. 3 overall prospect): 25.3
In other words, a trade for Ramon Laureano would cost Milwaukee Tyrone Taylor and/or Luis Urias and/or a one or two of their top five prospects. That is not a price worth paying for a player who may or may not benefit from a change of scenery.
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