Braves To Acquire Lane Thomas, Bailey Falter From Royals

The Braves are adding outfielder Lane Thomas and left-hander Bailey Falter in a trade with the Royals, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. It’ll be minor league pitchers Carter Holton and Lucas Braun heading back to Kansas City, per Robert Murray of FanSided. Atlanta picks up a veteran bat who should provide a boost in the corner outfield. The club has leaned on Mauricio Dubon and Mike Yastrzemski in left field this season. The pair headline a group that has combined for a .646 OPS, the second-worst mark in the league. Thomas should step into the role, at least against left-handed pitching. Dubon likely moves into more of a utility gig. The 30-year-old Thomas didn’t look like a desirable trade candidate over the first stretch of the season. He stumbled to a .611 OPS through May. Thomas put together a respectable June before turning it on in July. The veteran delivered an .820 OPS and doubled his season-long home run total last month. He pushed his wRC+ over 100 with the strong run. Thomas has typically been a lefty masher, and 2026 has been no different. He’s slashing .263/.370/.430 against southpaws this season, compared to a .207/.293/.367 line against righties. Atlanta has multiple bats to handle right-handed arms. Yastrzemski and Dominic Smith should remain in the mix with a righty on the mound. Kansas City stuck Thomas in all three outfield spots this year. He spent most of his time in center field, where he struggled to -10 DRS. He was a useful option in right field (3 DRS), but put up -3 DRS in left field. The latter is most pertinent to Atlanta, considering center field and right field are covered by Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuna Jr. Thomas hadn’t played left field since 2022 with the Nationals before this season. More to come… View Comments (77)