New Arrival: Ramon Laureano, of, Cleveland Guardians
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Outfielder Ramon Laureano is one of a bunch of players Cleveland added to their roster late this season. Unlike most, he has a future with the team since he was selected off waivers from the Athletics and is under team control until the 2026 season.
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Ramon Laureano had some great seasons in Oakland, but a PED suspension and injuries seemed to have derailed his career. But considering he is only 28, there should still be something left in the tank. Clearly, Cleveland thinks so.
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Since joining the club, Laureano is hitting .230/.305/.365 with an 88 OPS+. That isn’t great. But that is the beauty of it: you don’t have to be great to be an improvement in Cleveland. Only Steven Kwan (101 OPS+) hits enough to be a regular. The other options–Myles Straw (71 OPS+), Will Brennan (82 OPS+), and Oscar Gonzalez (55 OPS+) are 4th outfielders at best. Its not a pretty situation in Cleveland.
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It will take some time to see where Laureano will fall in the collection of (modern) players who have played for both Cleveland and Oakland–my two favorite teams. I am not sure which player represents the bar. Nick Swisher? Coco Crisp? Brandon Moss? Can’t be Josh Donaldson or Yonder Alonso. I will have to think about this.