The Guardians Make a Splash in the Outfield By Bringing In Lane Thomas

Cleveland has been one of the great success stories in baseball this season, as they have rallied around rookie manager Stephen Vogt to become an AL powerhouse.

They entered play on Monday with the best record in the American League at 63-42 and the second-best record in all of baseball, only trailing the 65-40 Philadelphia Phillies.

While the Cleveland Guardians have been rumored to be in the market for pitching at the upcoming trade deadline, they certainly had other areas in which they could do with some upgrading ahead of the postseason.

And the Guardians made their first move ahead to address one of these additional needs by focusing on right field and acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals on Monday evening.

The return for Thomas heading back to the nation’s capital is headlined by the Guardians’ eighth ranked prospect according to our rankings, LHP Alex Clemmey. Along with Clemmey, the Nationals will also receive Cleveland’s 11th ranked prospect SS José Tena and 19-year-old SS prospect Rafael Ramirez Jr.

How Lane Thomas Fits in with the Guardians

Thomas has been having yet another productive season at the plate. He’s slashing .253/.331/.407 this season with eight homers and 40 RBI while also posting a 108 wRC+ and a 1.0 fWAR in 77 games across 341 plate appearances.

And Thomas is coming off of a career year in 2023 where he slashed .268/.315/.468 with 28 home runs and 86 RBI while posting a 109 wRC+ and a 3.1 fWAR while missing only five games and registering 682 plate appearances.

One of the big improvements Thomas has made in the last year is his approach at the plate. Thomas has seen a rise in walk-rate, while simultaneously seeing drops in strikeout rate, chase rate and walk rate in 2024 from 2023.

Thomas is also one of the league’s top speed threats, as he ranks third in the majors in stolen bases this season with 28, trailing only Cincinnati Reds SS Elly De La Cruz and Milwaukee Brewers 2B Brice Turang, while boasting a 93rd percentile sprint speed.

Thomas will likely get the bulk of starts in RF for the Guardians, which is certainly a position where the Guardians required an upgrade at. As a team in right, Cleveland ranks 18th in fWAR (0.5), 21st in wRC+ (88), 28th in average (.210), 25th in OBP (.290) and 19th in SLG (.369).

This is in large part due to the disappointing play of youngster Will Brennan, whose accounted for the most games at the position for Cleveland this season. He’s only managed a 89 wRC+ and a 0.0 fWAR in 247 plate appearances this season.

And while Jhonkensy Noel, has been has been solid in his debut stint in the majors this season, posting 145 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR in 65 plate appearances, he’s still developing as a major league hitter. While the power is certainly there, as made evident by the .600 SLG, the plate discipline could be improved upon as Noel strikes out at 35.4% clip, over 14% higher than he did in the minors earlier this season.

Thomas is still under control until the end of 2025, meaning he provides Cleveland with a solid corner outfield option to capitalize on their fantastic year for another season.

Breaking Down the Return for Washington

LHP Alex Clemmey

As mentioned, the 19-year-old Clemmey is the most exciting piece heading back to Washington.

The 2023 second round pick has seen mixed results in first pro season posting a 4.67 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 69.1 innings across 19 starts in Low-A.

But Clemmey has managed to produce solid output in other areas in 2024, as he currently sports a 3.62 FIP and 12.56 K/9.

And Clemmey’s frame and arsenal is definitely what adds intrigue to him as a prospect. The 6-foot-6 lefty’s best pitch, according to our prospect expert Aram Leighton, is his slider which he gives a 70 grade Future Value.

Clemmey pairs that with solid 60 FV fastball that according to Leighton sits mid 90s.

INF José Tena

Tena is a piece that could make an immediate impact for the Nationals if they choose to call him up.

The 23-year-old infielder has recorded 38 plate appearances in the majors across 2023 and 2024, with minimal success in the small sample size so far, slashing .200/.263/.257 as major leaguer.

But Tena’s success in the minors in 2024 has been far more promising. He’s hitting .298 with an .846 OPS and 116 wRC+ in 405 Triple-A plate appearances this season.

Leighton grades Tena as having 55 future values in both game power and fielding.

And while he only possesses a 40 FV in the hit department, if he can find a way to split the difference between his major league average, .200, and his 2024 minor league average, .298, then he could be a very useful piece for the Nationals, especially considering the fact he can play 2B, 3B and SS.

SS Rafael Ramirez Jr.

Ramirez, a 19-year-old shortstop, is still finding his footing in his third year of pro-ball.

Across 216 Low-A plate appearances in 2024, he’s hitting .187 with a .301 OBP and a .319 SLG with an 89 wRC+.

But Ramirez really showed promise at the complex level in 2023, displaying solid power and a strong ability to get on base. In 190 plate appearances last season, he posted a .426 SLG and an even better .453 OBP. When you pair that with a decent .250 average, Ramirez posted an impressive 133 wRC+ in 2023.

What’s Next for Cleveland Ahead of the Deadline?

As already mentioned, the Guardians will need to address their starting pitching.

They currently sport just a 3.0 fWAR as team at SP, which ranks second-to-last in all of baseball.

They’ll likely need a solid mid-rotation starter to accompany their current No. 1 in Tanner Bibee, while alleviating pressure off of the young righty Gavin Williams, and an overperforming Ben Lively.

They could also use an additional starter to fill out the bottom of their rotation to improve upon names like Carlos Carrasco and Joey Cantillo.

Bottom line, the Guardians, just need starting arms, because their rotation as it stands right now does not scream of one that is fit for a deep postseason run.

Read more on potential trades the Guardians could make ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline.