Could the Cleveland Guardians look to trade one of their outfielders this winter?

The Cleveland Guardians are expected to explore adding an outfielder this winter, and for obvious reasons. There is only one full-time major league-caliber outfielder on the roster (Steven Kwan), with the rest of the bunch being part-timers and platoon bats. While an addition to their outfield mix could be on the way, do not count out the possibility of the Guardians trading away an outfielder in the process. Specifically, Lane Thomas.

When assessing the Guardians' current outfield configuration, Thomas seems like the odd man out. Thomas would probably be better off in right field rather than center, and the Guardians already have a surplus of right fielders as it is. On top of that, it is difficult to envision a scenario where it would make sense for him to be an everyday player in Cleveland.

Thomas did provide some power upon arriving in Cleveland last season, with 10 doubles and seven home runs, but his .209/.267/.390 slash line and 85 OPS+ left a lot to be desired. Sure, the occasional long ball and two-bagger are intriguing, but with his substandard slash line, it is hard to justify a world where Thomas is a lock to be in the lineup every day.

Of course, there is more to this than only Thomas' performance with the Guardians. Thomas is currently projected by Spotrac to receive just under $8 million through arbitration this winter. That is a lot of money for someone with Thomas' statistical performance, and with the financial parameters the Guardians prefer to operate in, this does not really fall in line with their roster construction philosophy.

It really does seem that in order for the Guardians to acquire the full-time outfielder they truly need, a trade of Thomas will be required. Being able to allocate the money that Thomas is expected to get in arbitration for a player who is more rounded and more consistent at the plate would help elevate the roster's talent floor, which would go a long way toward closing the gap between themselves and last year's World Series participants.