Lane Thomas
Another outfield target who could have met the Phillies’ needs was 28-year-old Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals.
Capable of putting up 20+ home runs and 70+ RBI a season, Thomas would have provided a huge offensive boost to the outfield in the Phillies lineup. Not only that, he can hold his own in the field, with a lifetime .985 fielding percentage and 40 outfield assists in six big league seasons.
However, Thomas ended up going to the Cleveland Guardians, while the Phillies reeled in Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles instead.
Boy, has that turned out to be a huge break for Philadelphia. Since joining the Guardians, Thomas has been absolutely atrocious, hitting a measly .109 with a .332 OPS. He scored four runs with no home runs, no RBI and 20 strikeouts in 46 at-bats in 13 games. Things have been so bad that he no longer has a guaranteed spot in the everyday lineup, riding the bench in three of the past six games.
Considering the Guardians gave up three promising prospects in left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey (Guardians No. 8 prospect), shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr. (Guardians No. 22 prospect) and third baseman José Tena to get Thomas, the results have definitely been hurting them in more ways than one.
That would almost be the equivalent of the Phillies giving up a package consisting of Mick Abel, Carlos De La Cruz and one more prospect, which would have been a pretty steep price for an underperforming Thomas. For the Phillies’ sake, thanks but no thanks.