The Oakland A’s announced a minor trade on Monday, acquiring 23-year-old outfield prospect Ramon Laureano from the Astros. In exchange, the A’s sent pitching prospect Brandon Bailey to Houston. To make room for Laureano on the 40-man roster, RHP Bobby Wahl was outrighted to Triple-A.
Laureano enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, posting a 163 wRC+ between High-A and Double-A. That performance earned him some attention last winter, including placement in some Astros Top 10 prospect lists (Pipeline, Sickels, Law) as well as John Sickels’ overall Top 200 list (No. 161). However, he slumped badly in the first half of 2017, and even after a strong finish his numbers were still ugly.