It was late July, and the MLB trade deadline was looming. The Washington Nationals were visiting the Arizona Diamondbacks. Thomas, an outfielder on the rebuilding Nationals, knew a trade was possible. He was preparing to hit in the batting cages in Arizona when Manager Dave Martinez called him into his office.
“You spend eight, nine months together for three years,” said Thomas, whom the Nationals traded to the Cleveland Guardians this summer. “You build some really good friendships.”
Months later, Thomas is an integral piece of a Guardians team trying to break the franchise’s championship drought. His go-ahead grand slam in Game 5 of Cleveland’s American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers propelled the Guardians to a clash with the New York Yankees, who took the first two games of the AL Championship Series.
