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Guardians previous Lane Thomas trade looks a bit better thanks to Nationals’ latest roster move 

ByHenry Palattella
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Aug 26, 2026: Washington Nationals third baseman Andres Chaparro (87) celebrates with Washington Nationals second baseman Jose Tena (8) after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Aug 26, 2026: Washington Nationals third baseman Andres Chaparro (87) celebrates with Washington Nationals second baseman Jose Tena (8) after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In Game 5 of the 2024 American League Division Series, Lane Thomas swung his way into the hearts of Guardians fans forever when he launched a go-ahead grand slam against Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers. 

That proved to be the high water mark of his time with the Guardians, which has made him one of the tougher Guardians to evaluate in recent memory considering Cleveland gave up three prospects to get him from the Nationals. While he had that majestic home run, he didn’t do much else before the Guardians lost him for nothing in free agency. 

But that trade added another layer on Monday when the Nationals designated José Tena for assignment as a part of the 40-man roster purge. The Guardians may not have gotten a ton from Thomas, but the Nationals got even less from Tena. 

The Guardians' trade for Lane Thomas looks better thanks to the Nationals designating Jose Tena for assignment

The 2026 season marked the most action Tena’s seen in a season, and he didn’t do much with the opportunity. He ended up making it into 114 games (largely as a utility player) and posted a slashline of .222/.302/.370 with seven home runs and 27 RBI. 

It would be one thing if he made up for that middling offensive production with some solid play in the field, but he led the Nationals in appearances at designated hitter (58) while posting -3 Outs Above Average in the field. 

The Nationals were almost forced to keep Tena on their big league roster all season since he was out of options and was a good insurance option in case the Nationals’ front office traded CJ Abrams, but that only saved him for so long. 

Although Tena was once ranked as an above-average prospect in the Guardians’ system, he only hit .200 in 21 games with the Guardians before being traded for Thomas. That said, he’s toolsy enough that he’ll probably get claimed on waivers by another club (whether he stays on that team’s roster all season is a different story). The Nationals have five days to decide whether to trade him or put him on waivers.  

Tena’s DFA is the first domino to fall in the Nationals’ return for Thomas since Alex Clemmey (one of the pitchers Washington acquired) just had a 4.64 ERA in Double-A while Rafael Ramirez (the middle-infielder who was included in the deal) just made his High-A debut. 

But even if Tena, Clemmey and Ramirez end up turning into regular big league contributors, the Guardians’ trade for Thomas was still the right move since they clearly needed his bat in the lineup. Tena’s DFA is even more confirmation of that. 

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