Guardians Open To Trading Josh Naylor, Lane Thomas
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writes that the Cleveland Guardians are open to trade offers for first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas, both of whom are entering their walk years. Naylor is projected to earn $12 million in salary arbitration, while Thomas is at $8.3 million. Cleveland has concerns in their outfield, but they just landed Thomas in a midseason trade in 2024. Naylor, on the other hand, has emerged as one of the team's most valuable position players while also being a leader in the clubhouse. If Naylor were dealt, Kyle Manzardo would be the obvious replacement for Naylor at first base in Cleveland. The small-market organization has already lost left-hander Matthew Boyd to free agency, and right-handers Shane Bieber and Alex Cobb could be next. Naylor had a career year for the Guards in 2024, but his struggles against left-handed pitching remains an issue.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas went 1-for-4 with a three-run shot in Game 1 of the ALDS. Thomas broke the game open early by hitting a three-run blast in the first inning to score third baseman Jose Ramirez and first baseman Josh Naylor to cap off an impressive five-run inning. The 29-year-old was able to carry his power surge into the postseason after tallying seven round-trippers with a .560 SLG during the final month of the regular season. Thomas should continue to bat in the five-hole of a deep Guardians lineup, which should present him with several RBI opportunities. However, Thomas is best to fade in DFS on Monday as he will face Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, who is coming off a six-inning shutout in the AL Wild Card Series.
Lane Thomas Records Three Hits, Four RBI On Wednesday
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas had a big day at the plate on Wednesday as his team beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4. Batting fifth, Thomas went 3-for-4 (three singles) with four RBI and one run scored. Thomas has had a mediocre season (.246 AVG, .718 OPS) but has been super hot as of late. In his last 15 games, he is slashing .370/.408/.652 with three homers and 14 RBI. This is great news for the Guardians, as they are looking to keep their lineup potent, heading into what promises to be a tight postseason race and postseason. Thomas is rostered in 64% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues and is worth adding in most leagues while he's swinging a hot bat.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas and shortstop Brayan Rocchio are both starting on the bench for Wednesday's series finale against the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Rookie Jhonkensy Noel will start in right field and bat seventh, while Daniel Schneemann will play shortstop and hit eighth for the Guards against Royals veteran right-hander Michael Wacha. Thomas hasn't really impressed Cleveland since they acquired him from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline in late July, as he's gone 11-for-76 (.145) with four doubles, three RBI and 34 strikeouts in 25 games so far. Since Aug. 21, he's gone 4-for-21 (.191) with a double, two RBI and 10 strikeouts in eight games played. Six of Noel's 12 home runs in his rookie season have come in the month of August, while he's hitting .255 (14-for-55) overall in the month in 19 games played.
The Cleveland Guardians acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals on Monday in exchange for left-hander Alex Clemmey, shortstop Rafael Ramirez and third baseman Jose Tena, according to a source. It's a big get for the Guardians as they look to lock down the American League Central and make a deep run in this year's postseason. Thomas, 28, will bring much-needed thump and speed to a Cleveland lineup that has struggled to put runs on the board early in the second half of the season. Through 77 contests with the Nats in 2024, Thomas has hit .253 (76-for-300) with eight homers, 40 RBI, a career-high 28 stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 341 trips to the plate. He should play regularly in right field and will see a slight boost in his fantasy value with the move to the AL. Will Brennan's stock will take the biggest hit in Cleveland.
Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas had a big night at the plate in his team's 11-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday. Thomas went 3-for-6 with a double, a triple, two runs, and four RBI to help power his team to the win. The veteran outfielder is now hitting .238 with five doubles, two triples, eight homers, 25 runs, 28 RBI, and 16 steals over 181 at-bats this season. He has been red-hot at the plate of late, batting .300 with four homers and 10 RBI over his past seven games. Fantasy gamers should consider Thomas for their starting lineups while he's on a hot streak.
Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss against the Atlanta Braves. The home run would be the fourth of the season for Thomas. The outfielder missed some time earlier in the season with a sprained MCL and has hit .250 with two homers, six RBI and four stolen bases since his return last week. Thomas has a breakout campaign in 2023, while showcasing both power and speed and that hasn't stopped this season. Although he is still shaking off some rust, Thomas remains a viable option in most formats.
Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas filled up the box score in Wednesday's win over the division-rival Atlanta Braves, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double, a walk, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in the victory. Before making an awesome sliding catch in right field to retire Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies in the fifth inning, Thomas hammered a three-run homer to left field to give the Nationals a 3-1 lead in the top of the frame. Although the speedy 28-year-old right fielder is still slashing a poor .210/.273/.330 with three big flies, 13 RBI, and nine runs scored over 100 at-bats overall this year, he's stolen 13 bases across 25 outings overall and gone 5-for-13 with four-extra base hits since returning from the injured list. The buy-low window in fantasy appears to be swiftly closing.
The Washington Nationals reinstated outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and designated outfielder Victor Robles for assignment in a corresponding move. Thomas is back in right field on Monday and is batting in the two-hole against Atlanta Braves veteran right-hander Charlie Morton in his first game back. The 28-year-old will return for the first time since late April due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain and should be thrown back into starting fantasy lineups because of his impressive power/speed combination. Ignore the fact that he hit only .184/.250/.253 with two home runs to begin the year, as he also had 11 stolen bases in 87 at-bats. The former fifth-rounder by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 needs to be rostered everywhere and will play regularly for the Nats now that he's healthy again.
Lane Thomas To Continue Rehabbing Knee, Will Be Re-Evaluated After Weekend
Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) will continue rehabbing his knee in the minor leagues and will be re-evaluated after the weekend, per Nationals manager Dave Martinez. Thomas is currently with Double-A Harrisburg but could also make his way to Triple-A Rochester. The righty has been recovering from a sprained MCL for the past month. Washington's offense is in need of some offensive firepower, scoring over three runs just three times in their past nine games. Thomas had been performing well below his norms prior to his injury, but if he returns to his .783 OPS from 2023 it'd be a great help to a desperate Nationals offense. Fantasy managers should be prepare for his return in the next week or so under the assumption that no setbacks happen over the weekend.
Josh Naylor
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Guardians
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