The Cleveland Guardians are not a team that usually takes a big role in MLB free agency.
The Guardians are also a team that often needs outfield help in recent seasons, which is what makes it interesting that one of their former outfielders is now a free agent from his new team.
Whether or not the Guardians make any signings in the near-term remains to be seen, and starting Dec. 1, a lockout in MLB is going to stop any activity for a while.
The Guardians’ outfield outlook also depends a lot on what they do with Steven Kwan. If they trade Kwan, a need out on the grass becomes even more important. If they keep Kwan, then they know they have both him and Chase DeLauter in place out there.
Given the Guardians’ outfield struggles in recent years, though, it’s never too early to consider the other options that might be out there.
Ex-Guardians OF Becomes Free Agent
One of MLB’s new free agents since the end of the season is Lane Thomas.
He was officially declared a free agent by MLB after the World Series ended.
Thomas concluded the 2026 season in the Atlanta Braves‘ organization and is one of 11 Braves who hit the open market at the end of the campaign.
Thomas began the 2026 season with the Kansas City Royals and played 97 games there with a 0.4 Wins Above Replacement total. He batted .232 with 16 doubles, 10 homers, seven steals and a .719 OPS. It was the best power he had shown off in a few seasons.
The Braves then added Thomas and played him just 21 games down the stretch as he hit .171 with three doubles and a homer.
A lot of the appeal in Thomas comes from his defense in centerfield, which remains solid.
He’s a player who should get an MLB contract in free agency before Spring Training, whenever that might be.
Lane Thomas With Guardians
Cleveland traded for Thomas before the 2024 MLB trade deadline from the Washington Nationals.
That season, Thomas got 53 games with Cleveland and hit .209 with seven homers. Then in 2025, he played in just 39 games with the Guardians with a .160 average and four home runs.
Thomas had been hitting .253 with the Nats in 2024 when Cleveland traded for him, but he could never replicate that performance with the Guardians.
That made it relatively simple for Cleveland to move on from him after the 2025 season.
Thomas turned 31 in August and is now in free agency at a time when baseball is heading toward an uncertain offseason. It’s not clear that Cleveland would consider bringing Thomas back, but it wouldn’t be the worst fit.
Ex-Guardians Outfielder Officially Reaches Free Agency