MLB trade regrade: Lane Thomas plays hero for Guardians when it matters most

It's not about how you start, right? Lane Thomas seems to think so. The Guardians outfielder, who struggled in Cleveland after being acquired from Washington earlier this season, just came through with the biggest moment of the season for the Guards, who are on their way to the ALCS to take on the New York Yankees.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, facing possibly the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal, Lane Thomas blasted a grand slam that un-tied the game at one and put Cleveland ahead for good in Game 5.

That is about as timely of a home run as you can possibly deliver for your new team.

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Trading for Lane Thomas looks pretty smart after huge grand slam

When Cleveland traded for Lane Thomas in July, the move was met with a lukewarm reaction from Guardians fans, as the team gave up a top 10 organization prospect in LHP Alex Clemmey plus another top 30 prospect in Rafael Ramirez Jr. And when Thomas got off to a slow start in Cleveland (he had a .657 OPS with the Guardians in the regular season) fans didn't think that trading for Thomas was a move that would move the needle in the postseason.

Oh, how the needle has moved! Thomas is now responsible for one of the most exciting moments in franchise playoff history and Guards fans have completely forgotten the names of the prospects the team traded to acquire Thomas.

But this isn't a "Washington looks so dumb for trading Lane Thomas" situation. The Nationals were never going to make the playoffs and Thomas served no purpose on that roster — especially during October. If anything, Nats fans should be happy their old friend is thriving on the biggest stage (and that they were able to get some solid prospects back in exchange for him.) Clemmey was solid in the Nationals organization after the trade, holding opponents to a .187 batting average in six starts at Single-A. Ramirez Jr struggled a bit in limited time, but both players are 19 years old and have plenty of time to get comfortable in Washington's farm system.

Lane Thomas struggling in his early days with Cleveland feels like a bygone memory after his massive moment in the ALDS. Maybe it's recency bias, but that deal looks pretty genius from GM Mike Chernoff right about now. Anything Cleveland gets from Thomas in the ALCS almost feels like a bonus after he brought the city to its feet on Saturday afternoon.

Cleveland Guardians trade regrade: A

Washington Nationals trade regrade: B