Should the Miami Marlins pursue Ramon Laureano?
The Miami Marlins have at least one OF that can be counted on to produce, and even be a middle of the order bat in 2023. It's also not a secret that The Fish badly need a real CF. All of our current OF's and specifically the best options are more suitable for the corners, and some are better off at DH. Isn't it time that we acquired a CF already? Well, tell that to Kim NG who is yet to do a meaningful trade to improve our 2023 lineup. There is an option however...
Ramon Laureano could be a CF option for the Miami Marlins.
The Oakland Athletics are rebuilding. This means that anyone that isn't going to be a part of their next playoff team can be on the move. One such player is Ramón Laureano. Laureano is controlled through the 2025 season and has been a solid, if not unspectacular defender in centerfield. He may not be an elite defender, but he's experienced and seems to be a better defensive option there than anyone that we currently have on our roster.
What about offensively? Laureano broke out in 2018 with a .288/.358/.474 batting line in 48 games and 156 AB. He followed that up in 2019 with a .288/.340/.521 batting line in 123 games and 434 AB. He produced 24 HR and 67 RBI that season and stole 13 bases. There was rightfully some buzz about him at the time. He stumled in the shortened 2020 season, batting .213/.338/.366 in 54 games and 183 AB, but he wasn't the only player who didn't get into routine during the pandemic.
2021 and 2022 saw Laureano miss some significant time due to injuries. He played in 88 games in 2021 and 94 games in 2022, geting 341 AB in the former and 383 AB in the latter. What were his batting lines? .246/.317/.443 in 2021 and .211/.287/.376 in 2022. Hmmmm. None of that looks particularly promising, but with 14 HR in the former and 13 in the latter, the power is still there. He should hit over 20 HR in a full season. Fangraphs projects as much as well.
Should the Miami Marlins acquire Ramón Laureano from the Oakland Athletics? I think that we definitely should if the price is right. Oakland will likely only want prospects back, so what can be agreed upon? We need a CF and Spring Training is coming up soon, so who is it going to be?