The Cleveland Guardians are heading towards selling players from their team at the MLB trade deadline. With a struggling offense and after losing nine straight, selling players off at the deadline is well within reason.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today predicts the Guardians will sell, and he named multiple options the team could sell. Carlos Santana has been mentioned before, as has Emmanuel Clase. But, for the first time, the Guardians’ 2024 trade deadline pickup was named as a potential trade candidate.
“The Cleveland Guardians are expected to unload first baseman Carlos Santana by the end of the month,” Nightengale writes, “While also potentially moving outfielder Lane Thomas…”
Thomas was the Guardians’ 2024 trade deadline pickup, as they sent Alex Clemmey, Rafael Ramirez Jr., and Jose Tena to the Washington Nationals for Thomas at the end of July.
Joining the Guardians a little over halfway through the 2024 season, Thomas only played 53 games in his first season with the team. During that time, he hit .209 with a .390 slugging percentage and a .657 OPS.
MORE: Guardians urged to trade fan favorite slugger after terrible start to season
Thomas, in his first half-season with the Guardians, wasn’t very good. He struggled offensively and was a below-average hitter. In the postseason, however, he was much better. He had a .766 OPS with two home runs and nine RBIs for the Guardians.
While he ended the year on a positive note for Cleveland in the postseason, his 2025 regular season has paled in comparison. Through 39 games, Thomas has a.160 batting average with a .272 slugging percentage and a .518 OPS.
His 45 OPS+ means he is 55 percent below a league-average hitter. It’s been a rough season for Thomas, and with the 29-year-old set to hit free agency after this season, the Guardians could look to move him for any return that they can.
Even if it’s a low-level prospect, any return for Thomas would be a net positive. He’s not contributing much on the field, so ‘losing’ him wouldn’t be detrimental to the team.
The Guardians’ 2024 trade deadline acquisition should be moved at the deadline once again, as the Guardians are six games out of a Wild Card spot, and the offense is among the worst in the league.
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