Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Outfielders to Potentially Pursue

No. 2 Trade, Lane Thomas

The Washington Nationals still have quite a bit of time remaining before they are fully ready to compete, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they attempted to trade a player like Lane Thomas, who has interest from quite a few teams.

Thomas is by no means considered one of the best outfielders, but he has one of the most valuable arms in the outfield with some of the best arm strength you can find. However, his range is quite lacking, which prevents him from winning gold gloves. In 2022, Thomas started to break out, but in 2023 he finally did when he hit 28 home runs while batting .268 on the less than stellar Nationals.

He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 for International Slot Bonus money from the Blue Jays and later got traded to the Nationals in 2021 for Jon Lester. In the minor leagues, he showed he had power, but his lack of walks could be a problem, like Tim Anderson had in 2023 with his regression making him nearly unplayable.

Thomas probably won’t be the most expensive, but he is very risky. He could continue to break out late in his career like players such as Adolis Garcia and prove himself worth acquiring, which is what the Pirates should do since you have to risk it for the biscuit.

The current outfield holds Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski, while Suwinski plays solid defense, Reynolds has been one of the worst. Adding another speedy power-hitter like Thomas could be similar to acquiring another player like Taylor, but at a younger age and a long-term cheaper option, which is what the Pirates like to hear the most.