Athletics acquire Laureano from Astros

After an up-and-down season at the plate, Ramón Laureano is getting a fresh start.
The A's acquired the outfielder from the Astros in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Brandon Bailey on Monday.

Laureano, who becomes Oakland's No. 18 prospect, bounced back from a slow start to the season with Double-A Corpus Christi by hitting .262 for the Hooks in the second half. The 23-year-old slugged eight of his 11 homers after the All-Star break while swiping 24 bases throughout the season.
In 2014, Laureano was selected in the 16th round of the Draft out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. The Dominican Republic native broke out in 2016, tallying career highs of a .319 average, 15 long balls and 73 RBIs across Class A Advanced Lancaster and Corpus Christi. He also showed off his above-average speed with 43 stolen bases in 57 chances.
In his full-season debut, Bailey notched a 3.26 ERA with 120 strikeouts and 31 walks in 91 innings across 24 games (17 starts) as he advanced from Class A Beloit to Class A Advanced Stockton. After a July of adjusting to the hitter-friendly California League, the 2016 sixth-round pick out of Gonzaga had an exceptional August, holding foes to three runs in 14 2/3 innings over four starts.
Bailey owns a 1.06 career WHIP in 36 games (24 starts) across four levels through his first two professional seasons.