The Royals and outfielder Lane Thomas are reportedly in agreement on a one-year contract. The Wasserman client receives $5.25MM with another $1MM available via incentives. Kansas City has a couple of open 40-man spots and won’t need to make a corresponding move once the deal is official.
Thomas and the Royals will be looking for a bounceback season, as he just suffered through an injury-marred 2025 campaign with Cleveland. Early in the season, he missed about a month due to a right wrist bone bruise. In the latter months of the season, he went on the injured list a couple of times due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He required surgery in September with a projected recovery time of three to four months. Around those IL stints, he got into 39 games and hit just .160/.246/.272.
Prior to that, he had a solid run as a decent regular in the bigs, suiting up for the Cardinals, Nationals and Guardians. From 2021 to 2024, he got into 510 contests, hitting 67 home runs and stealing 66 bases. He produced a .248/.313/.426 line over that four-year span, which translated to a 103 wRC+, indicating he was 3% better than league average.
He was slightly better in the second half of that stretch. Over 2023 and 2024, he hit 43 home runs and stole 52 bases. His combined .255/.312/.439 line in those two seasons translated to a 105 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with 4.3 wins above replacement, a bit better than two wins per year.
His defense has been more of a question mark. Outs Above Average has given him a minus-16 ranking for his career, but oddly considered him league average in center and subpar in the corners. Defensive Runs Saved has put a minus-18 mark on him, but most of that due to an odd minus-13 grade in 2024 alone.
He clearly has some wheels, as his sprint speed has been ranked in the 93rd percentile or above since he became a regular. With a bit of pop in the bat as well, he has been able to engineer some decent results when healthy.
The Royals have been struggling for years to get production from their outfield. In 2025, they got a collective .225/.285/.348 line from the grass. That resulted in a 73 wRC+, the worst such mark of any team in the majors.
Obviously, upgrading the outfield was going to be a priority this winter. It was recently reported that the club would be looking to add one outfielder via trade and another via free agency, with a right-handed hitter who can play center field being a specific target. The Royals currently project to have an outfield consisting of Jac Caglianone, Kyle Isbel and John Rave. All three hit from the left side. Caglianone was a top prospect coming into 2025 but he didn’t hit at all in his first 232 plate appearances in the big leagues. Rave has just 175 big league plate appearances without much success either. Isbel has more experience but is a glove-first center fielder. They picked up Kameron Misner, another lefty, from the Rays in a trade a few weeks ago.
Thomas has pretty strong platoon splits in his career. He has been punched out in 28.2% of his plate appearances against righties with a .220/.287/.383 line and 84 wRC+. With the platoon advantage, his strikeout rate drops to 19.3%. He has a .292/.359/.500 line against southpaws for a 135 wRC+.
The Royals shouldn’t be done adding to their outfield. As mentioned, they have been looking to make two additions. This at least gives them a short-side platoon guy who can be slotted into any of the three outfield positions, while also perhaps coming off the bench for pinch-running opportunities. His health may be a bit of a question mark with the aforementioned surgery, but the estimated timeline should allow him to be healed up by spring training.
It’s a modest free agent add but the Royals apparently didn’t have much to spend. Owner John Sherman said a couple of months ago that the 2026 payroll would likely be similar to what they had in 2025. RosterResource currently projects them for a $139MM payroll in 2026. That’s already above where they finished in 2025, before even adding Thomas onto the ledger. Perhaps the next move will come on the trade market. There have been plenty of rumors suggesting the club may be looking to deal from its starting depth in order to get another bat.
Will Sammon of The Athletic first reported the Royals were signing Thomas. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had the $5.25MM guarantee and $1MM in bonuses.
Photos courtesy of David Richard, Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
Better be a minors deal. This isn’t going to solve KC’s glaring outfield issue.
I jumped on here to say the SAME EXACT THING! KC has a poor outfield unit year in and year out…
Lane Thomas DID NOT look good last year!
I don’t like this signing at all for the Royals…
It’s a fine signing assuming we get another OF too. We were desperate for a right handed outfielder to at least try in a platoon
Nothing says bargain like $5.25m (plus $1m in “incentives”) for a short-side platoon guy with bad feet!
Not a fan of it either. I’d rather give one of our guys in the minors another shot. The money should have been used somewhere else.
What guys in the minors? We have no one
His agent was on a recent MLBTR podcast and said something to the effect of “Lane is going to be just fine”. So I’d be surprised if it’s not a guaranteed deal.
He seems like a good 4th outfielder.
Great minds think alike. And so do ours!
Would be a nice 4th outfielder.
Unfortunately, we already have 5 4th outfielders
No we got rid of one of them we non-tendered MJ and he wasn’t even a true outfielder he was a catcher that they converted to the outfield
$5.25M is a hell of a minor league deal.
Plus $1 million in incentives!
Probably half a mil for just showing he can run in camp.
I kind of like this signing. Guy was injured the whole year, could possibly bounce back. Brutal park to hit in, but I like him as a player. Maybe a platoon option to plug and play with, and there could still be a bigger signing still in the works
This is a solid move if the price is right. He probably needs a LH compliment, but it wouldn’t have to be a strict platoon.
Maybe he’s the right hand platoon for Jac I think Jac is a lefty
This.
He was very good a couple years ago….
“We have Mike Yaz at home”
I was going to say he’s basically righty MJ Melendez (albeit with more upside), but similar principle.
I would be suprised if this is the only signing.
Bargain bin pickups should be coming at the end of free agency, not now. This does not inspire confidence in organizational direction.
Doesn’t seem like they’re done adding to the OF. There has been way too much smoke about them trading an arm for an OF. Maybe they add Donovan, too. Having Jac, Donovan, Lane,Isbel, and Blanco doesn’t sound too bad.
LF: Donovan/Thomas
CF: Isbel/Blanco
RF: Jac
Not Blanco. He’s on the wrong side of 30 now because he was a late bloomer
Donovan would be at 2B I would think. Beyond that, no way he platoons with anybody, let alone Lane Thomas. Donovan is an everyday player.
I’m aware. The platoon with Thomas would eliminate Massey vs LHP. Donovan just moves to 2nd with Thomas slotting into LF.
If he’s past the plantar fasciitis issue then this isn’t terrible but certainly can’t be the Royals “big” move. Honestly they probably should have brought back Yaz instead
I don’t think we would have offered yaz the same amount of money
Love this for the Royals, soild deal. Good upside for 5 million. Hope he gets back to the 2023 production. GO Royals!
If he’s healthy, there’s zero downside to this move.
Well except if he sucks the 5.5m could have been used to get someone better.
The 5.5m and a valuable roster spot too
Castellanos could have been had for $3-$5MM.
I think signing Lane Thomas at what he got was a questionable use of scarce resources, but paying Castellanos anything is simply throwing money away.
This is not what we need ! He didn’t even hit close to 200, he hit 160. if we wanted somebody that hit 160 we would have kept hunter renfroe.
Solid bounce-back candidate. You can easily point to the injuries as a reason for hos woes. He’s got some tools in the shed. Could be a sneaky good pickup or a nothing burger, but I’d bet on the former.
Easily? Could also be a complete waste of 5M$ that could have been spent on an outfielder who wasn’t absolutely terrible last year. Good luck Royals.
Considering he had been roughly a 20/20 guy with a .250-.260 average, yeah you could. 2025 was a lost season for the guy, but the talent is there.
He’s hit those figures just once in 6 seasons. He was replacement level the year before his so called lost season.
He’s also a one-trick pony, a guy who wears out LHP, which is all well and good, but $5+ million for that?! And he’s an awful outfielder as well (good arm though!) so how’s that going to play in cavernous Kaufmann? He takes the WORST routes. Go to FieldingBible to look at his RF defensive runs saved numbers over the last five years (but don’t do it on a full stomach!)
He was hurt so a decent gamble. at the price. young enough that he might still be a 2 WAR player if healthy.
In this price range you r shopping in, gotta sign the Lane Thomas/ Cedric Mullens types and give them a chance to be an average player at below cost.
I’d rather try out bleday but either way it’s a cheap experiment
Don’t want to throw another questionable lefty into the mix. Bleday is a horrible defender too
I hope I’m wrong but this feels like a total waste of over 5 mil by a team that can’t afford to spend much more than last year.
Could have Castellanos for that amount…. maybe less.
Please. Lane Thomas at least offers hope.
Hunter Renfroe 2.0? Do wish him a bounce back 2026 season though.
At least if this signing doesn’t work out they aren’t going to be paying him for an extra year like they did with Renfroe.
In 2025, they got a collective .225/.285/.348 line from the grass.
But how’d they do at home?
Hope he bounces back and has a good year but it seems early to circle to the one year bounce back guys.
@halosheavenjj. Not to many centerfielders on the market. he grades out better as a cf, negative on the corners. I was hoping angels could get him as the 4th.
Let’s get real here: Lane Thomas is not a good defender anywhere.
@avory. Im being real. Never said he was elite. Just saying there’s really no centerfielders on the market. Angels need one. Bader and Grisham will certainly cost more. probably a good chance they get paid and regress with similar numbers.
I hope he bounces back, otherwise the Royals will finish in 4th next season.
4th what the f#@$ are you smoking? We have a great rotation. Solid 1-5, this is a platoon option for Jack C & Kyle I to hit against lefties. Lane hits LHP way better than Jack or Kyle. Great for pinch hitting and pinch running. Royals will make a trade for a LF. Put down the glass pipe and use your brain.
Yeah! The Royals will finish third and miss the playoffs!! It’s a big difference from fourth in the division, missing the playoffs, and getting a lower draft pick!
Still think they should call the Phillies and say trade us Castellanos and send us $15MM (so Royals pay $5MM) and trade back to Phillies their 30th ranked prospect and a dozen balls. Casty still way better than Thomas. And if it doesn’t work could be a trade chip for the Royals at the deadline..
Castellanos is NOT way better. He’s WAY older. And he’s not worth the 30th ranked prospect in any farm. He’s a DFA candidate that they can then sign for the league minimum. If you give me a choice between the two, I’m picking Thomas and the upside. Castellanos is also not a trade chip, or the Phillies would most certainly have moved him.
If Correa got Matt Mikulski as a return, Castellanos is getting a Matt Mikulski signed baseball card for the Phils while they still cover $15 million.
He’s a release candidate so anything over mlb minimum that another team will cover is a bonus for Philly. Philly wanted another teams 30th prospect they’d have to include their 25th.
@cards. Correction Castellanos is probably a trade chip that no one wants.
lol. yup.
Nonsense. Phillies pay $19.5 million and send a bucket of balls along with Castellanos so that when Nick is released at least they have an expensive bucket of balls to show for it.
Phillies are releasing Castellanos. I can’t imagine anyone even wanting him for the league minimum.
Oh terrific. Another OF who can’t hit with little power…..
they could of pick up O’niel from the O’s at a disc. -OR Profar-at a disc, IF teammates and fans can get over the drug suspension
Lane is a overrpay to try to get lightning in a bottle season
Im not sure the braves are going to give up profar anyway, suspension or not he posted a 120 OPS+ when he came back. They certainly aren’t going to eat money to have him gone. O’Neill is feasible, but the Orioles are trying to win as well, there’s no guarantee the birds would eat any sufficient money to have him gone, even with plenty of outfield depth. May I interest you in a slightly used Castellanos? He is available and could still provide around league average offense, maybe higher!
Teammates aren’t going to care if he had a PED suspension.
Best news I’ve heard all day – I was worried the Pirates would sign him or Yastzremski. After all, these are exactly the kind of marginal players who end up in Pittsburgh, underperform their contracts and otherwise take up space and hamstring the budget. Now both of them are some other team’s problem.
Of course the Pirates will do nothing until the middle of spring training, then sign some washed up player who was good 4 or 5 years ago.
As a Royals fan I do not hate this signing, I can see how it may well work out very well with some luck, but coming the day after losing out on Yaz it really feels like a consolation prize.
I’ve said this before. I do not think the Royals are serious about signing an outfielder.
Decent move for KC.
As a fringe team they need to take risks. If Thomas figures it out, he’ll far exceed what he’s being paid. If he doesn’t, he’s a platoon OF.
They aren’t getting Tucker or Bellinger, so go for guys with some upside
Nationals robbed the Guardians for this guy. Even if Clemmey doesn’t pan out, their two seasons of Tena have already out produced what Lane Thomas put up for Cleveland.
Good move by KC. I was hoping my Phillies would sign Thomas as a cheaper version of Harrison Bader who seems destined to land elsewhere. Phillies need RH hitting outfielder(s). Maybe a reunion with Austin Hays is in the cards.
Just wish the Royals would get the OF bat deal done theyre after. Their fanbase freaks out at every minor move
I dig it. He was a solid player 2022-2023 before injuries claimed the second half of 2024 and all of 2025. If we look solely at his doubles production, he hit 62 doubles in 22-23 while playing half his games in Washington. Move him to doubles friendly Kauffman and he could easily be a +40 doubles guy. While his BA is better against lefties, he racks up doubles against righties – suggesting KC sees him more than just a platoon bat.