Guardians get Lane Thomas, trade 3 prospects to Nats

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians had two big things on their to-do list heading into Tuesday’s Trade Deadline: Add starting pitching and pick up a bat. One of those two seems to be accomplished.

Cleveland has acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Nationals in exchange for three prospects: lefty Alex Clemmey (the Guardians’ No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline), shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr. (No. 22) and infielder Jose Tena.

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Thomas seems to fit the Guardians’ typical hitting profile. His chase rate ranks in Baseball Savant’s 91st percentile and his expected batting average in the 79th percentile. The plus side that comes with Thomas is that there is also a threat of some power, although he hasn’t swung the bat the same way as he did last season.

Thomas, who turns 29 on Aug. 23, had a breakout year in 2023. He recorded career-highs in batting average (.268), home runs (a team-best 28), hits (168), runs (101), RBIs (86) and stolen bases (20). This season, he searched for the same production. Thomas has hit .253 with eight home runs, 40 RBIs and 28 stolen bases as the Nationals’ No. 2 hitter.

TRADE DETAILS:
Guardians get: OF Lane Thomas
Nationals get: LHP Alex Clemmey, SS Rafael Ramirez Jr., INF Jose Tena

Thomas was a Trade Deadline success story for the Nationals in 2021. Thomas became a centerpiece of the Nats lineup, but with top outfield talent in the Minor Leagues -- including 2023 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Crews -- and No. 2 overall prospect James Wood already in the Majors, they had the depth to part ways with him.

Although Jhonkensy Noel has been seeing time in right field, Thomas would be an easy bat to slide into the corner, which would mean Noel could see more time as a designated hitter when the matchups are right.

Thomas is under team control until 2026, which is why the Nationals were looking for a significant return.

Said Washington's general manager Mike Rizzo on July 19, “I think he's still a heck of a player. There are a lot of teams that would really benefit from getting Lane Thomas. He's got as good of an arm as anybody in right field. He throws out a lot of guys, he's got power, he dominates left-handed pitching and is good against righties. So he's a really good player. We've got control of him, so we're going to do a deal that we're comfortable with. And if we don't, we won't do a deal.”

The trio of prospects that Cleveland was willing to part with was enough to get the deal done. Clemmey was the Guardians’ second round Draft pick last year and in his first professional season, he’s owned a 4.67 ERA in 19 starts with a whopping 97 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings. But being just 18 years old, Clemmey is some ways away from his Major League debut, which made it easier for the Guardians to take from their starting pitching depth.

The Guardians also have a plethora of infielders to choose from. With second baseman Travis Bazzana now in the mix -- on top of Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, Juan Brito, Andrés Giménez, José Ramírez, Daniel Schneemann and others -- it was hard to imagine Jose Tena finding a roster spot. And even though Rafael Ramirez Jr. is a little younger, as MLB Pipeline projects his arrival to the Majors to come in 2027, he’s in the same boat.

After Cleveland had been relatively silent over the last few weeks, the team decided to make its first move. But maybe it won’t be the last. The Guardians know you can never have too much pitching. And they certainly know they need to add a starter, if they can.

There’s less than 24 hours remaining to get other deals done. We’ll see if they can cross both of their big items off their to-do list before the buzzer sounds.