MLB trade grades: Guardians acquire outfielder Lane Thomas from the selling Nationals

The Cleveland Guardians have been one of the bigger surprises of the entire 2024 MLB season. They have shown serious growth from their 76-win 2023 season. With their bullpen as solid as it is, they have very few places that they could look to really upgrade.

The glaring hole in their team is in the outfield. On Monday evening, right as the clock was striking 7:00 P.M, the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a deal that would bring Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas to Cleveland in exchange for a package of prospects, headlined by Alex Clemmey, the Guardians 8th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

The addition of Thomas adds him to the Cleveland outfield that has two struggling pieces in Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan.

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MLB trade grades: Cleveland upgrades the offense with a big bat from Washington

Here's the full trade that sent Thomas to Cleveland:

Thomas, 28, is slashing .253/.331/.407 with 28 stolen bases and 27 extra base hits. The outfielder provides elite baserunning and an elite arm, though he doesn't grade out as a great defender. Thomas is under team control in 2025 as well. He provides the Guardians with an outfielder besides Stephen Kwan that should produce in the middle of the order.

Clemmey, 19, has superstar written all over him. The 6-foot 6 southpaw has an electric fastball that he can run up near 100 mph with elite shape and spin. He pairs that with two distinct breaking balls, both of which are plus offerings. The only flaw is in command, but as a 19-year-old throwing in the high nineties, that's sort of expected. If he can learn to harness this electric arsenal of his, he could fly through the minor leagues. He currently has a 4.67 ERA in 69.1 innings this season.

Ramirez, 19, is having a bit of a down year, slashing .187/.301/.319 at the Low-A level. There's room to be concerned for the struggle, but it's important to note that the infielder is still a teenager that has a solid glove.

Tena, 23, is slashing .298/.353/.493 at the Triple-A level this season. He's looked incredibly impressive with the bat at the minor league level, but he just hasn't been able to stick with the big-league club. He's an athlete first with a solid glove and good speed. His bat has been improving slowly but surely. At age 23, the potential in the young infielder is rather high.

The Guardians had to give up a decent sized haul in order to land the outfielder they wanted. The loss of Clemmey is the only one that could come back to truly haunt them down the road. Thomas will be a great addition to a team that already looks competitive in the American League.

The Nationals were backed in a corner, almost forced to deal Thomas this season. For them to land a dynamic talent like Clemmey alongside two other project infielders is a huge win for Washington. Their rebuild is headed in the right direction.

Guardians trade grade: B

Nationals trade grade: A