The Cleveland Guardians are gearing up for a sell-off at the trade deadline, and that includes moving some pieces they just acquired last year.
Lane Thomas, the outfielder Cleveland traded for at the 2024 deadline, is now being mentioned as a potential trade candidate himself. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports the Guardians are expected to move first baseman Carlos Santana while also potentially trading Thomas.
It’s a quick turnaround. The Guardians sent prospects Alex Clemmey, Rafael Ramirez Jr., and Jose Tena to Washington for Thomas last July, hoping he’d provide some outfield stability and offensive production.
That hasn’t quite worked out.
Thomas struggled in his 53 games with Cleveland after the trade, hitting .209 with a .657 OPS. He did bounce back in the postseason with a .766 OPS and nine RBIs, giving the organization some hope heading into 2025.
But this year’s been even worse. Through 39 games, the 29-year-old is hitting .160 with a .518 OPS. His 45 OPS+ means he’s performing 55 percent below league average – that’s pretty rough territory for any hitter.
With Cleveland sitting six games out of a Wild Card spot and their offense ranking among the worst in baseball, it makes sense they’re pivoting toward a sell-off strategy. The Guardians have lost nine straight games, and their offensive struggles have been a major factor.
For Thomas, the timing isn’t great. He’s set to hit free agency after this season, so his trade value is limited to a few months of control. But even a low-level prospect return would be better than nothing, especially since he’s not contributing much on the field right now.
The irony isn’t lost here – trading a guy you just acquired 12 months ago. But that’s baseball sometimes. Teams make moves based on their current situation, and Cleveland’s current situation calls for moving pieces rather than adding them.
What makes this different is Thomas isn’t just underperforming; he’s actively hurting the offense when he’s in the lineup. For a team already struggling to score runs, getting any return for a player who might not be in their future plans anyway seems like smart business.
The Guardians also have Emmanuel Clase generating trade interest, though moving their All-Star closer would signal a more complete teardown. Thomas feels like the easier move – less organizational impact, and frankly, less risk of alienating the fanbase.
Now that we’re approaching the deadline, Cleveland’s front office has some decisions to make about how aggressive they want to be. Moving Thomas seems like a given at this point. The question is whether they’ll stop there or really commit to retooling for 2026.
