Guardians' Lane Thomas: Avoids arbitration with Cleveland
Rotowire
Thomas agreed to a one-year, $7.825 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The 29-year-old will receive a modest raise in his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility after making $5.45 million last season. Thomas had 15 homers and 32 stolen bases with a .709 OPS in 130 games between Washington and Cleveland in the regular season last year, and he should be a key piece of the Guardians' outfield mix again in 2025.
Thomas went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 6-1 victory over the Reds.
The Cleveland outfielder hit the team's second homer of the opening frame, smacking a 370-foot, two-run shot off starter Carson Spiers. Thomas later added another RBI in the seventh inning to plate the Guardians' final run of the contest. The 29-year-old has continued to stay hot in September, as he's now hitting .291 (23-for-79) with seven homers, 12 runs scored and 20 RBI across 22 games this month. Overall, Thomas is slashing .241/.313/.408 with 15 homers, 64 runs scored and 63 RBI while going 32-for-46 on steals across 517 plate appearances.
