Why the Guardians should consider rolling the dice on this free agent postseason hero

In 2025, Lane Thomas put together one of the worst walk years we’ve seen in recent memory. After ending 2024 with a strong postseason, Thomas’ 2025 season was never able to get off the ground due to a variety of factors. 

After going 5-for-29 across the Guardians’ season-opening road trip, Thomas was hit in the wrist in the pitch against the White Sox in the Guardians’ home-opener. That kicked off a rough run for Thomas, as he ended up only playing in 39 games due to his wrist injury and a severe bout of plantar fasciitis. 

He hit .160 with four home runs across those games and didn’t play in a game after July 4. He underwent foot surgery at the end of September and is expected to resume baseball activities at some point over the winter. 

Now he’s due to hit free agency for the first time in his career and will likely have to settle for a fourth outfielder/platoon role. And even if he hit just .189 across 92 games after being acquired from the Guardians at the 2024 trade deadline, there’s still a place for him on the 2026 roster. 

The Guardians should seriously consider reuniting with Lane Thomas in free agency

While Thomas’ struggles in 2025 put them in a rough spot, it could end up helping them in 2026 since it’ll result in Thomas’ price tag being significantly cheaper in free agency.

If Thomas had stayed healthy and matched the kind of production he had with the Nationals in 2023 (.268 batting average, 28 home runs, 86 RBI), then he would have been destined to the three-year, $66 million that Teoscar Hernández signed with the Dodgers last offseason.

When healthy, Thomas has a unique blend of power and speed that makes him dangerous at the plate and a vacuum in the outfield — and it’s not hard to see how that could help the Guardians.

Thomas’ injury meant that the Guardians had to use converted infielder Angel Martínez in center field most of the season to pretty dire results. Martínez finished the year hitting just .224 while being worth -8 DRS in center field, which was among MLB’s worst marks at the position.

Chase DeLauter could theoretically cover center field next season, but the Guardians will likely want to ease him back into action after he missed a good portion of the 2025 season due to injury. 

Thomas has gone on the record about how much he’d love to re-sign with the Guardians, but the Guardians (like every team) will likely want to wait to see how the recovery goes from his surgery before making any decision about his future. 

But even if Thomas comes with a huge question mark, the Guardians need help in the outfield. Steven Kwan is set in left field (if he isn’t traded), but the rest of the outfield picture consists of DeLauter, Martínez, George Valera, Nolan Jones and Jhonkensy Noel.

Valera and Jones are intriguing options who were in the team’s starting lineup in the postseason, but it’s hard to believe Cleveland would use them in the outfield without a veteran safety net. We’ve already mentioned Martínez’s struggles in the outfield. Noel and Jones could be cut at some point in the offseason. 

The Guardians’ front office is going to have to make some kind of decision about the outfield in the offseason. It seems like Thomas could be a factor in that decision at the very least.