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.

Sean Murphy

Similar to Laureano, Sean Murphy has several years of team control remaining until he becomes a free agent. The 27-year-old catcher became one of the better catchers in baseball in 2021 as well. His .710 OPS and 98 OPS+ does not necessarily reflect that, but his elite defense and overall solid bat are what make him a great catcher. The offense at the catcher position is not particularly high around the league. Despite that, in 182 career games, Murphy has hit 28 home runs, batted in 81 runs, and put together a .752 OPS and 109 OPS+. There is some offensive potential in his bat the Guardians could definitely utilize. Statistically, Murphy put up a .309 wOBA but an xWOBA of .335, which is much better and reflects the notion that there could be more in store with the bat for Murphy.

As it currently stands, Austin Hedges is the starting catcher. Hedges played 88 games in 2021 with an abysmal .527 OPS. Defensively, Murphy posted 10 DRS in 2021 and a framing rate of 9.7. He would simply be added to the list of outstanding defensive catchers Cleveland has had in recent years. It’s just that he would add so much more offensively than what the team has been receiving or would receive from Hedges in 2021. He is one of the top trade targets at catcher and the Guardians have the prospect capital to get the deal done.