CLEVELAND — With less than 24 hours to go before Major League Baseball's trade deadline, the first-place Guardians have finally made a move.
Whether or not it will satisfy fans hungry for a deep playoff run remains to be seen, but at the very least, the club seems to be getting a right-handed hitting outfielder with speed and decent power.
Cleveland has acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal was the first to break the news, and the club has since confirmed it will be sending prospects José Tena, Alex Clemmey, and Rafael Ramirez back to D.C.
Though the Guardians' offense has fared much better than their patchwork starting rotation this season, the lineup has been scuffling as of late, having been shut out six times over the last 17 contests. Outside of Steven Kwan in left, the outfield has been one of the major areas of concern, with players like Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan struggling to find a rhythm at the plate.
On paper, Thomas provides an instant upgrade, with .738 OPS (112 OPS+) and 28 stolen bases this season. Perhaps most importantly, the right-handed hitter sports a .306 career batting average against left-handed pitching, including .326 in 2024 with a .922 OPS across 100 plate appearances. He's also under team control through 2025.
Since breaking into the league in 2019, Thomas sports a solid .749 OPS, and belted a career-high 28 home runs a year ago. On the downside, his fielding value has taken a nosedive this season, with Baseball Savant placing him near the bottom of the league at seven defensive outs below average.
As for what Cleveland sent back, it looks to be a hefty price, including two players ranked among the organization's top 30 prospects per MLB.com. The highest of the trio is Clemmey (No. 8), a 19-year-old lefty who was the team's second-round draft pick in 2023. He currently sports a 4.67 ERA at Low-A Lynchburg.
Ramirez (No. 22) is also just 19, having signed as an amateur free agent two years ago. The young infielder was with Clemmey in Lynchburg, sporting a .187 average with 10 doubles in 54 games.
The most notable departing player is Tena, who is batting .200 across 38 MLB plate appearances since 2023. With Triple-A Columbus this year, the 23-year-old is hitting .298 with 17 homers and 63 RBIs, but his departure can also help relieve the middle infield logjam that has long been a thorn in Cleveland's side.
The trade deadline is Tuesday at 6 p.m., with the Guardians still potentially looking to add a starting pitcher. They entered Monday with the best record in the American League at 63-42.
