The Cleveland Guardians faced an important deadline on Thursday afternoon.
They had until 1 pm ET to settle their contracts with their arbitration-eligible players who hadn’t signed by now.
Two players belonged to that group, and the two happened to be starting outfielders: Steven Kwan and Lane Thomas.
Both will be returning for this season and both have now figured out their 2025 salary.
In the specific case of Thomas, he will be getting a nice raise as he heads into his final season of team control.
“Lane Thomas and the Guardians have settled on a $7.825 million deal for 2025, per source, avoiding arbitration,” MLB insider Mark Feinsand posted on X.
Lane Thomas and the Guardians have settled on a $7.825 million deal for 2025, per source, avoiding arbitration.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 9, 2025
There were rumors, earlier in the offseason, that the Guardians were reportedly entertaining the possibility of trading Thomas since he will be a free agent after the season.
Even though that would fit with the team’s overall philosophy, he remains the best solution for center field and there is no clear-cut replacement on the roster, unlike what happened with Josh Naylor.
It always made sense to keep Thomas.
The trade acquisition from last year’s deadline got off to an awful start with the Guardians upon being acquired.
Thankfully, the organization remained patient and saw the rewards: after a horrible 30 wRC+ in August, he bounced back with a 137 mark in the last month of the regular season and proceeded to post a 124 wRC+ in October with two huge ALDS home runs and nine RBI in 10 games.
Thomas loved being in Cleveland and fans got attached to the ‘Lane Train’.
He will give everything he has once again in his last season before free agency.
NEXT: Guardians Have An Important Deadline Coming Up On Thursday
