It's very clear what the Cleveland Guardians need to add to their lineup to contend for the AL Central and reach the postseason for the second consecutive season. It's the same hole that the front office tried to address in the offseason with Mike Zunino and Josh Bell , but those additions have not panned out.
The Guardians need a power, home run-hitting bat that preferably can play the outfield.
Luckily, the MLB trade season will pick up in the next couple of weeks ahead of the August 1 deadline. There will be a number of players on the market Cleveland can trade for and they shouldn't hesitate to improve their roster where it's weak.
One player who could be on the move in the next month is Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas.
Thomas made his debut in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals but never could stick with the NL Central club and was traded to the Nats. Flash forward to 2023 and Thomas finds himself in the middle of his best season in the Big Leagues.
The 27-year-old is slashing .301/.347/.509 with an OPS of .856. Thomas has also hit 14 home runs and driven in 45 RBI through the first half of the season.
The Guardians have historically struggled against left-handed pitching and Thomas could help with that as well. He currently has a batting average of .385 and an OPS of 1.116 in 113 plate appearances against Southpaws.
Acquiring Thomas would mean that Terry Francona and company would need to shift the outfield in order to get him at-bats. Thomas has played 82 of his 83 games in right field, which is currently occupied by Will Brennan .
Brennan has demonstrated he can handle center field on defense so it makes sense for him to slide there while Thomas takes over in right. This means that Myles Straw would come out of the starting lineup in favor of more offense.
The earliest Thomas can become a free agent is 2026. This means the Nationals may ask for multiple prospects in a deal with him having multiple years of team control. However, this would be worth it if the Guardians are truly serious about winning the division in 2023.
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