The Cleveland Guardians should hold off on trading Lane Thomas this offseason. The Cleveland Guardians have already faced some difficult decisions this offseason. One of those options is to trade popular infielder Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays.
The front office may yet face more difficult decisions, as two key players are still mentioned in trade rumors throughout MLB. One of such players is playoff hero Lane Thomas, who will enter his final season with the team in 2025. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this month that the Guardians would be willing to trade Thomas in the right deal.
But does a Thomas deal make sense for Cleveland?
At this stage in the offseason, it would not.
Unlike other situations in a probable Josh Naylor transfer, any transaction involving Thomas is unlikely to help the Guardians improve in 2025.
While Cleveland has plenty of options to replace Naylor at first base, there are still doubts about the outfield next year, even with Thomas on the roster.
Yes, the Guardians saw Thomas at his best and worst during his two months with the team after the trade deadline.
When he arrived in Cleveland, he had one of his worst batting stints, posting a.143 average in August.
However, Thomas recovered his rhythm in September, finishing with a.855 OPS in the season’s final month. That performance extended into the postseason, with two critical home runs, both in the ALDS. If the Guardians want to contend in the World Series in 2025, they’ll need all the offensive support they can get.
Aside from Steven Kwan, the outfield position group has been very disappointing with their bats, and they require another regular player in either center or rightfield.
Even with his subpar defense, Thomas might fill that vacuum for the Guardians for an entire season.
It’s difficult to see a better version of Cleveland’s club without Thomas, unless he’s only one component of a much larger blockbuster trade that lands Cleveland a star outfielder. The Guardians would be better off not dealing Thomas since they lack outfield depth and need more offensive production. Instead, they should use his final year of team control, even if it means he could go for nothing in free agency next year.
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