The Cleveland Guardians are fortifying their roster ahead of the trade deadline.
Cleveland on Monday acquired outfielder Lane Thomas in a trade with the Washington Nationals. Thomas offers a combination of power and speed and typically plays right field. His specialty is what he can do against left-handed pitching.
Thomas slugged 36 doubles and 28 home runs for Washington last season. He had a .783 OPS and 20 stolen bases.
This season, Thomas is batting .253 with a .738 OPS and has 16 doubles, 8 home runs and 28 stolen bases.
Thomas destroys left-handed pitching and is batting .326 with a .922 OPS when facing southpaws this year. He is a career .306 hitter against lefties.
The Nats are receiving Jose Tena, Rafael Ramirez and Alex Clemmey in return for Thomas. Tena has seen some action with Cleveland in the majors. The shortstop has shown some power and batted .286 during his minor league career. Ramirez is a 19-year-old infield prospect in Single-A. Clemmey is a 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher who is also 19.
The Guardians entered play on Monday 63-42, which was the best record in the American League.
