Lane Thomas Rumors: 5 Best Trade Fits at the Deadline

Lane Thomas isn’t going to be the most-heralded pickup of trade season, but the Washington Nationals outfielder feels like the type of player who could ultimately make a major impact for a contending team.

While he did strike out 176 times in 2023, Thomas also homered 28 times and drove in 86 runs. He had a slow start to this season, as he was hitting .184 with a .503 OPS when he went on the injured list with a sprained left MCL in late April.

Since returning from the IL in late May, Thomas has hit at a much better clip, raising his batting average to .252 and OPS to .722.

Thomas is particularly effective against left-handed pitchers, as he’s hitting .350 with a .980 OPS in 93 plate appearances against southpaws in 2024. Admittedly, that’s a relatively small sample size, but he has an .896 career OPS against lefties.

When you add in that Thomas has experience at all three outfield positions and can’t become a free agent until after the 2025 season, there figure to be a slew of contenders interested in him. Here are five possible suitors.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have a particularly left-handed lineup with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. If president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski adds a right-handed bat, it could help solidify a World Series-caliber roster.

Marsh has an .887 OPS against right-handed pitchers, but just a .378 mark in limited at-bats against lefties. That would seemingly make Thomas the perfect platoon partner in left field with Marsh.

Also possible is Marsh playing center field and Thomas playing left field. Late in games, defensive specialist Johan Rojas could come in as the center fielder, with Marsh shifting to left field and Thomas coming out.

Seattle Mariners

The contrast between the pitching and hitting in Seattle is stark. The Mariners will enter the second half of the season with a 3.46 ERA, which is third among all teams.

However, they rank 27th in runs scored, meaning serious upgrades are needed offensively to fend off both the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.

Some of those upgrades will have to come internally, specifically from Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford. But right field and second base are clear areas where the M’s need to make external additions. They’ve been consistently connected to Miami Marlins’ star Jazz Chisholm Jr., who would be a fit at second base to replace a struggling Jorge Polanco.

Meanwhile, Thomas would be a step up from Mitch Haniger, who has disappointed in his second go-round in Seattle.

What’s more, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto loves to trade, perhaps too much for his own good. Well, Thomas’s additional year of control would allow him to be part of a stretch run for the Mariners before becoming a possible candidate for Dipoto to flip in the winter.

Atlanta Braves

It’s funny for the Braves to be right after the Mariners, the team that sent them Jarred Kelenic this past offseason.

The Braves will get center fielder Michael Harris II back from the IL eventually, but Ronald Acuña Jr. has been lost for the season, which means Kelenic will continue to play a critical role in Atlanta’s outfield this season.

Against right-handed pitchers, Kelenic has nine home runs and a .752 OPS. However, the former top prospect has only taken 58 plate appearances against lefties and has a .598 OPS to show for them. It’s clear the Braves don’t love Kelenic playing against left-handed pitchers.

President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos could acquire Thomas to spell Kelenic in left field against left-handed pitchers once Harris is back in center field. On days when Atlanta is facing a righty, manager Brian Snitker could consider using a lineup with Kelenic in left field, Harris in center field and Thomas in right field.

Thomas would be a much better option than Adam Duvall or Eddie Rosario at this point in their respective careers.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Adding to a starting rotation that’s been decimated by injuries will likely be priority No. 1 for Dodgers’ president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. But this is certainly a team that will have to make a decision as to whether Jason Heyward, Andy Pages and James Outman can be key contributors in the outfield down the stretch. If not, an upgrade might be in order.

The Dodgers may prefer a player capable of playing both in the outfield and at second base, such as the aforementioned Chisholm. But Thomas could take down at-bats in whatever corner outfield spot Teoscar Hernández isn’t in, and he could also play a bit of center field if needed.

Additionally, Hernández is an All-Star for the second time in his career and may ultimately cash in elsewhere on a multi-year deal in the offseason. Thomas could coexist with Hernández for the remainder of this season and then serve as insurance if the Dodgers lose the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner in free agency.

New York Yankees

This one is pretty simple: The Yankees have two superstar outfielders in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. They have a third outfielder in Alex Verdugo.

Against right-handed pitching, Verdugo has been serviceable, with a .249 batting average and eight home runs. However, Verdugo is hitting .198 with a .563 OPS against lefties, so it’s clear that when the postseason rolls around, the best Yankee lineup when facing a left-handed pitcher won’t include Verdugo.

Thomas would usurp Verdugo against lefties and could ultimately push Verdugo into being more of a bench player than a regular starter.

Trading for Thomas could also help the Yankees manage the workload of Judge, the AL MVP front-runner. Thomas could play center field on some days, allowing Judge to shift to a corner outfield spot or DH, or just to have an off day.