Philadelphia Phillies Could Pursue Trade for Nationals Veteran Outfielder

The Philadelphia Phillies could make a big splash at this season's MLB trade deadline by striking a deal with the Washington Nationals.

The trade market is hitting up and it isn't yet this season's trade deadline of Aug. 1. Names such as Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and David Robertson has been moved.

Teams may not wait until the deadline to get a deal done as the market is thin on talent and there are far more buyers than sellers.

As such, the Philadelphia Phillies may have to make a move sooner than they'd like and one name to watch for is Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas.

Thomas, who is slashing .287/.335/.477 with a 124 OPS+ this season, has been linked to Philadelphia multiple times this season as a potential trade destination. The Athletic has once again linked the two parties as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.

The acquisition of Thomas would allow the Phillies to utilize Kyle Schwarber in the designated hitter position and place Thomas in left field.

It takes care of the defensive issue plaguing Philadelphia in the outfield and adds another capable bat to the lineup.

Thomas wouldn't come cheap considering he is under team control through the 2025 MLB season, but he would fit right into the plans of the Phillies and their projected contention window.

Any acquisition of Thomas likely starts with Griff McGarry or Mick Abel, simply considering that Thomas is an above-average outfielder with plenty of team control left.

Add in the fact that the outfielder plays for an intra-divisional rival and the price tag might be a bit higher. However, the New York Mets did trade their closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins earlier in the week, so it's not unprecedented.

It will be interesting to see which direction the Phillies go, but adding Lane Thomas could be a good start.

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