Guardians option Will Brennan following acquisition of Lane Thomas
The Cleveland Guardians have made a roster move ahead of Tuesday afternoon's matchup with the Tigers in Detroit. Outfielder Will Brennan has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus following Monday's acquisition of Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals. Thomas is slated to start in right field and bat second in Cleveland's lineup.
This move does not necessarily come as that much of a surprise. Trading for Thomas was always going to impact Cleveland's outfield mix, and when it comes to players that could be optioned, Brennan was always going to be someone near the top of that list. Sure, the Guardians could have considered someone else, such as Tyler Fremman, Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, or even Jhonkensy Noel, but their abilities to play multiple positions provide a bit more value than the outfield exclusive appearances from Brennan.
The 26-year-old Brennan has not been able to build upon an encouraging 2023 season, seeing his slash line drop from .266/.299/.356 to .233/.291/.379. Brennan's OPS+ has increased from 82 to 89, but that is still considered below average, with average being 100. They have managed to get by with this level of production up to this point, but everyone was aware that an upgrade was needed if they are going to go on an extended postseason run.
Cleveland's front office clearly prioritized two areas in their acquisition of Thomas, a right-handed bat and someone who can hit left-handed pitching. Unfortunately for Brennan, neither of those apply. The left-handed Brennan has a .161/.161/.258 slash line with an OPS+ of 15 against left-handers this season, far from anything that would be considered acceptable.
At the end of the day, this particular transaction was about elevating the roster's talent floor. Brennan is a fine player, but the Guardians need more than fine at this time. Cleveland is placing an increased amount of importance on what Thomas is able to provide that Brennan is unable to, in addition to the positional flexibility of the other non-regulars on the major league roster.