Royals agree to 1-year deal with OF Lane Thomas (sources)

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals have agreed to a one-year, $5.25 million deal with veteran outfielder Lane Thomas, sources told MLB.com on Thursday night.

The club has not confirmed the contract, which is pending a physical and includes $1 million in incentives. The Royals are at 38 players on their 40-man roster, so a corresponding move is not needed.

The 30-year-old Thomas is a buy-low bounceback candidate and a right-handed hitter who can play center field, all items the Royals were searching for when looking at the free-agent market for outfielders who can provide some length to the bottom of their lineup. They missed out on re-signing Mike Yastrzemski, who inked a two-year, $23 million contract with the Braves on Wednesday, but had a list of free agents to continue to go after as they left the Winter Meetings.

Thomas spent the last year and a half with the Guardians and went through several ups and downs. After joining Cleveland in a Trade Deadline deal with the Nationals in 2024 -- the Royals expressed interest in adding him then, too -- the outfielder batted .148 in his first 29 games for Cleveland. But he turned it on in September, with a .560 slugging percentage, and Thomas’ grand slam in Game 5 of the ALDS against Detroit and Tarik Skubal helped send the Guardians to the ALCS. There, Thomas’ double preceded a game-tying home run by Jhonkensy Noel in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 against the Yankees, which the Guardians won in 10 innings.

After that uneven 2024, Thomas was limited to 39 games and 125 at-bats for the Guardians in 2025, mostly due to a lingering case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which required surgery in September. And before that, Thomas missed a month with a right wrist bone bruise after he was hit by a pitch on the right wrist in Cleveland’s home opener. When healthy enough to play, Thomas batted just .160 with a .518 OPS and six extra-base hits.

The biggest question is if Thomas can recapture the form he showed in 2023, when he hit 28 homers and stole 20 bases for Washington, to go with a .783 OPS and 3.3 WAR (per Baseball Reference). Even if not, he can still provide value against left-handed pitchers, against whom he has a career .292/.359/.500 slash line.

Defensively, Thomas has seen time at all three outfield positions, including 276 starts in right field and 170 in center. In his last full season in 2024, he showed limited range (-8 outs above average, third percentile) but an elite arm (95th percentile arm strength). The Royals could use him as a right-handed option in center field when lefty Kyle Isbel sits, or in right field if lefty Jac Caglianone is not playing. There’s lots of opportunity in left field right now, too; the Royals plan to have Michael Massey (also a lefty) split time between second base and left field in 2026.

It remains to be seen how much, if at all, Thomas’ foot injury will zap him of his 94th-percentile sprint speed in limited time in 2025, but when healthy Thomas still presents a tantalizing power/speed combination that could make him more than a platoon bat if he performs.

This move doesn’t mean the Royals are done searching for outfield bats. 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.