4 Cleveland Guardians trade targets from the Oakland Athletics

There’s a fire sale going on in Oakland, and the Cleveland Guardians should get in on the action. Here are a few players Cleveland should target.

There have been a few big trades within the past week as baseball resumed operations following a 99-day lockout, and with big-name players on the move, the Cleveland Guardians are in a prime position to make a big trade or two between now and Opening Day.

One of the teams most talked about on the trade block right now is the Oakland Athletics. They are in the midst of a fire sale that the Cleveland Guardians should fully take advantage of if they want to be competitive this season. Between pitchers, outfielders, and catchers, there are different Oakland trade targets Cleveland can seek to improve the team.

While MLB Pipeline has not yet released its official 2022 top 100 prospects list, author and prospect expert Keith Law of The Athletic provided a fantastic breakdown of Cleveland’s farm system. In his list, he ranked four Guardians’ prospects in the top 100, with outfielder Steven Kwan just missing the cut. Between the talent in their farm system and the amount of talent the Athletics are currently selling off, these two teams make perfect sense to work out a trade.

Let’s discuss some of Oakland’s best trade targets to improve the current Guardians roster.

Ramon Laureano

Ramon Laureano is currently serving an 80-game PED suspension. This is what could make this a controversial trade, even though he only has 27 games of that suspension remaining. However, there is a lot to like about Laureano despite being a generally underrated name on the market.

Firstly, his contract is in absolutely fantastic shape for Cleveland. He just entered arbitration this year and will not be a free agent until 2025. He has been in the league since 2018 and is still only 27 years old.

Second, per Roster Resource on FanGraphs, Cleveland could use an everyday right-handed-hitting outfielder. Laureano’s primary position is center field but is flexible enough to play all three outfield positions at an above-average level. Despite only playing 88 games in 2021, for various reasons, Laureano still put up 4 DRS, 2.8 UZR, and 2.1 fWAR. Extrapolate that over a full season and he still puts up nearly 4 WAR despite a relatively mediocre offensive performance.

Offensively, Laureano’s best season was 2019, when he put up an .860 OPS and hit 24 homers. He is no Jose Ramirez at the plate but has a high-enough ceiling to make any trade for him worth it. Laureano should be one of the most highly coveted trade targets for the Guardians.