MLB insider reveals perfect trade partner for Royals to ditch Lane Thomas ahead of deadline

The Kansas City Royals have a bigger argument than potentially any team when it comes to assuming the role of sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Despite getting back in the win column Sunday, the Royals still sit a 36-54 and rank only above the Los Angeles Angels in MLB this season. The focus has never been clearer, stop looking at 2026 and refocus their efforts on 2027.

A full-scale rebuild seems a bit extreme, but a retool seems like the perfect avenue for the Royals at this trade deadline. Find expendable names that don't alter the core and try and recoup some assets to attempt the run they should've made this season a year later. In this case, one of the prime names that comes to mind as an expendable asset is outfield platoon specialist Lane Thomas. And perhaps the latest from Bob Nightengale of USA today may've given the Royals the perfect avenue to trade Thomas.

According to Nightengale, the Houston Astros are "badly needing an outfielder" and have recently been kicking the tires on potential deals with the Colorado Rockies for Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy. And at first glance, it's easy to see why they may be interested in these two names. Moniak has looked incredible through 56 games in Colorado with a 136 wRC+ and McCarthy strong as well, with a 120 wRC+ through 76 outings.

However, with how good they've been paired with how poor the Rockies have looked, the Astros may be in quite the bidding war for these two, which would make anyone's approach for them difficult.

However, if anyone needs to add in the outfield this season, it's the Astros, as they've certainly been reeling there this season with several shakeups already being made to try and find some answers. This season they hold the second-worst outfield wRC+ in the majors at 86 along with the lowest OPS at .291 and third lowest batting average at .218.

This means if they are desperate for outfield help, perhaps the versatile Thomas may an unconventional option for them. His .216 AVG, .665 OPS and 88 wRC+ might be initially off-putting, but when you look deeper into both him and Houston's needs, perhaps it's a better match than meets the eye.

Royals' Lane Thomas could subtly address several Astros outfield needs

Starting with the obvious, Lane Thomas is a right-handed platoon specialist and his career numbers versus lefties are certainly admirable. In 795 career plate appearances against southpaws, Thomas is slashing .286/.357/.478 with a 129 wRC+.

Now, this season he may only be at near-average 96 wRC+ against them, however, given the Royals immense injury woes this season, he hasn't exactly had the benefit of being used like he was likely intended to be at the start of the year.

Looking at the Astros' numbers versus lefties this season, they aren't terrible but leave a lot to be desired with a below average 99 wRC+, bottom 10 ranking in batting average and the third lowest-walk rate amongst MLB teams. Based on his career numbers, it's easy to see Thomas as an impact platoon/bench player for a Houston team with October aspirations.

It's also easy to see Daikin Park as being a more favorable hitting environment for a right-handed bat like Thomas. Hitting towards the Crawford Boxes would be a great way to utilize his double-digit homer power potential and his well above-average 73rd percentile launch angle sweet spot percentage this season.

While touched on from a left-handed perspective already, the Astros could stand to be better from a plate discipline perspective. With just an 18th ranked 8.7% walk rate as a team this season, Thomas could come in and immediately help address that. He may not be offering a ton with the bat this season, but what he does unanimously well is draw walks, as his 13.0% walk rate places him in the 89th percentile of league hitters this season.

Then, there's the defense, which may not be great at any spot in particular, but he is able to provide lineup flexibility nonetheless with plenty of experience at all three outfield positions. For a postseason contender, flexibility only becomes more crucial the later the season goes on and into October.

Finally we round things off with speed, and there's no denying that this is Houston's most glaring weakness. Not only do they rank dead last in baseball in stolen bases with just 29, but their overall baserunning abilities (BsR) ranks 25th in baseball. With a blistering 91st percentile ranking in sprint speed and positive BsR of 0.3, he certainly fits the bill of an improvement for them on the basepaths.

While there are certainly other more lucrative options across the board for Houston, Thomas' abilities to address multiple needs could make him a sneakily strong candidate to address the Astros' dire need for outfield re-enforcements.

And while the Royals may not be able to grab a sensational return for him, beggars can't be choosers and on a one-year deal, any return would be better for them than nothing for Thomas.

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