Guardians bulk up on offense, land Nats' Thomas
Written by I Dig SportsThe Cleveland Guardians acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals for three prospects on Monday night.
Thomas, 28, adds instant offense in right field for Cleveland, a position where they've struggled this season. Guardians right fielders rank 27th in OPS, hitting just 13 home runs. Thomas has only gone deep eight times this year to go along with 28 stolen bases. He's coming off a career season in 2023 when he hit 28 home runs while compiling a .783 OPS.
In return, the Nationals received left handed pitching prospect Alex Clemmey, shortstop Rafael Ramirez and third baseman Jose Tena.
Clemmey was the 58th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He's a lanky 6-foot-6 lefty that just turned 19 earlier this month.
Ramirez Jr. is a left-handed hitting shortstop with 20 home-run potential, but below average contact rates in the low minors. He's also just 19 years old.
Tena has played 21 big leagues games over the last two seasons, but he's mostly been in Triple-A this season and next year is likely his last season where he can be optioned to the minors without going through waivers. He's a left-handed hitting utility infielder with above average raw power and solid but not spectacular other tools.
ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel contributed to this report.