Guardians rewarded for strong season with Nationals trade

The Guardians (63-42) entered Monday with the AL's best record and a 4.5-game lead over the Twins (58-46) in the AL Central.

Few predicted Cleveland to be in this position in March. Per CBS Sports, the Guardians (+6000) ranked 19th in preseason World Series odds and had an over-under win total of 79.5 games.

In 2023, they went 76-86 and finished third in the division.

This season, Thomas has appeared in 77 games and has .253/.331/.407 batting splits with eight home runs. Last year, he hit .268 with 28 home runs.

Per Baseball Savant, like Guardians 2024 All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan, Thomas rarely swings at pitches outside of the zone. His 20.6 percent chase rate ranks in the league's 91st percentile.

He's also quick on the base pads. Thomas' sprint speed, which Baseball Savant defines as "feet per second in a player's fastest one-second window," ranks 12th in the league (29.2 feet per second), and he's been credited with 15 bolts, or runs where he reached a max speed of at least 30 feet per second. 

He joins a Guardians squad ready to contender for a World Series sooner than most predicted. Thomas and Kwan, who leads the AL with a .342 batting average, give Cleveland a solid corner pair in the outfield.

As natural of a fit as he should be in the lineup, Thomas' best attribute might be his rocket launcher for an arm. Opponents will think twice before trying for an extra base on balls hit to him.

Per Baseball Reference, the Guardians entered Monday second in left-fielder wins above replacement (WAR) at 2.2 but 24th in right-field WAR (negative-1.2).

According to ESPN Bet, the Guardians (-150) are the favorite to win the division. They rank fourth (+650) in AL pennant odds and eighth (+1800) to win the World Series.