Royals Insider Confirms What Fans Already Knew About Lane Thomas Signing

The Royals aren't done altogether, but in one facet, they are

Jun 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Lane Thomas (8) celebrates his double in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Lane Thomas undoubtedly has upside, but he's no sure thing for the Kansas City Royals.

Outside of a three-WAR, 28-homer season in 2023, Thomas' career has generally been uneven. This season, he was plagued by injuries. Much like most of the Cleveland Guardians' hitters, he struggled offensively, batting .160 with a .518 OPS in his 29 games.

After reportedly signing Thomas to a one-year, $5.25 million contract with an additional $1 million in incentives on Thursday, the Royals still by no means projected to have one of the better outfields in the majors. Thankfully, it doesn't appear that their own projections see it that way either.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Royals still want outfielders, but likely via trade

Oct 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning in game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals will still be on the hunt for more offensive production from the outfield this offseason. However, Rogers also seemed to indicate that the Royals would be done shopping for free agents, which makes sense, because any free agent guaranteed to produce more than Thomas would cost $100 million-plus.

"This move doesn’t mean the Royals are done searching for outfield bats," wrote Rogers. "Their preference is to add multiple this offseason, and they’ll still be exploring the trade market for a more impactful bat.

"Thomas provides them with depth that can hit lefties well, something the Royals will want to get on base at the bottom of their order so the core of the lineup can produce runs."

If the Royals are counting on Thomas to play an everyday role, they might be setting themselves up for failure. But as a platoon piece, he could certainly prove effective (.859 career OPS against left-handed pitchers).

Still, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that Thomas is a needle-mover at this point in the offseason. And while it's not exactly a surprise that the Royals are out on the likes of Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, knowing that an impact addition must come via trade certainly creates more pressure.

Will the Royals find a way to land the clear-cut everyday starter and impact bat they need? Or will they pick up a lefty version of Thomas and try to sell us on the dream that one of the two will transform into that impact bat instead?

More MLB: Royals GM Hints At Unconventional Blockbuster Trade Possibility