Philadelphia Phillies: 3 trades to upgrade Odubel Herrera’s roster spot

3) Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate to upgrade center field: Ramón Laureano

Ramón Laureano of the Oakland Athletics might be best known for his PED suspension, but that shouldn’t stop the Phillies from going after him. If we’re going to talk about morality, they don’t have room to talk.

Through his first 244 at-bats this season, Laureano has hit .230/.311/.406. The numbers don’t pop, but he does have 10 home runs already and has been very good in the past as well. Although better suited in right field, where he has played most of this season for Oakland, Laureano has seen more action in center field than anywhere else since his 2018 big league debut.

Metrics suggest a corner spot is better. The Phillies might ignore this as they have for just about every position on the field. This is a team of DHs, after all.

Laureano isn’t having a particularly good season but might be a rebound candidate for the Philadelphia Phillies. He won’t hit free agency until after the 2024 campaign. A trade candidate other clubs could look at for depth, Philadelphia might end up tempted to overpay as they have a much greater need for a starting center fielder than a guy for the bench.

Among these three choices, the best is Taylor. He’d cost less than Happ, and the Phillies would have enough resources to go out and fix another need: the rotation.