Brewers Reportedly Talked with As about Ramon Laureano

The Milwaukee Brewers bats have come alive since the All-Star Break ended, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t upgrades that can’t be made–specifically in centerfield.

Currently, Tyrone Taylor and Jonathan Davis are splitting time in center. Taylor has an OPS of .706, which includes an OBP of just .277. His OPS+ of 96 is also below league average. Meanwhile, Davis has a .623 OPS — although he is getting on base at a .365 clip — and an OPS+ of just 81.

With the MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, and with this being a very upgradeable position for the Brewers, the team has reportedly talked with the Oakland Athletics about Ramon Laureano, according to Jon Heyman.

What to know about Brewers’ potential trade target, Ramon Laureano.

Laureano finished serving an 80-game suspension earlier this season after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug last August. Unlike the Brewers’ Pedro Severino, however, Laureano is available for the 2022 postseason.

Laureano has spent all five of his big league seasons with Oakland, and for his career, he has slashed .255/.329/.451 with 59 home runs and an above-average OPS+ of 116.

This season specifically, Laureano has appeared in 71 games and posted a .220 average, a .691 OPS, along with 14 doubles and 10 home runs. His strikeout rate is a bit on the high side at 25%, which is about his career average, while Laureano is walking on 8% of his at-bats–about league average and, again, around his career average.

His advanced metrics from Baseball Savant don’t leap off the page either, but so far, 2022 has been a down year in comparison to his last few. The Brewers would hope that a change of scenery would help Laureano regain some of his previous form–although by OPS+, even at his current level of play, he is considered an upgrade over Taylor and Davis.

By Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Laureano is considered an above-average defender throughout his career, but just like on the offensive side, he has struggled in that regard this season, currently at -6 in DRS with zero being considered league average.

The 28-year-old Laureano also comes with 2.5 years of team control remaining and won’t hit free agency until 2025. His salary this season is a very affordable $2.45 million, according to Spotrac. As we know, team control and a contract that won’t break the bank are two important elements for the Crew when it comes to making a deal.

As David Stearns does every year, the Brewers will make a trade prior to the deadline. The question is, however, how significant of a move will it be?