Nationals trade Lane Thomas to Guardians for 3 prospects

The Washington Nationals traded outfielder Lane Thomas to the Cleveland Guardians for left-hander Alex Clemmey, shortstop Rafael Ramirez, and third baseman José Tena, the teams announced.

Thomas provides the AL Central-leading Guardians with another offensive weapon alongside José Ramírez, Josh Naylor, and Steven Kwan.

Thomas is hitting .253/.331/.407 with 16 doubles, 40 RBIs, and 28 steals this season, including a .922 OPS against left-handed pitching. He hit 28 homers and stole 20 bases during a breakout campaign last season. The majority of his defensive reps came in right field with the Nationals, and he sits in the 95th percentile in arm strength.

The 28-year-old is earning the remainder of his $2.2-million salary this season and is arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2025. He becomes a free agent in 2026.

"It would (be) fun to see this thing through with a lot of these young guys, but they're going to be fine," Thomas said following the trade, according to MASN's Mark Zuckerman.

"The talent you've seen from James (Wood) and CJ (Abrams) and MacKenzie (Gore) and all the guys who have so much time to improve. It'll be fun to watch. I'll be rooting for them for sure."

Clemmey was the Guardians No. 7 prospect, according to Baseball America. The 19-year-old was selected in the second round of the 2023 draft. He debuted at Single-A Lynchburg this season, posting a 4.67 ERA and 12.6 K/9 in 69 1/3 innings.

Ramirez, 19, is the Guardians' 20th-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America. Like Clemmey, he was playing for Lynchburg this season, where he posted a .620 OPS with 23 RBIs and seven steals.

The 23-year-old Tena made his major-league debut for the Guardians in 2023, recording seven hits in 34 plate appearances.

He's spent much of this campaign at Triple-A, hitting .298/.353/.493 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 90 games. Baseball America considers him the Guardians' 28th-best prospect.