The Cleveland Guardians didn’t have a ton of upcoming players hitting the open market this winter. They already re-signed one of them, with Austin Hedges returning on a one-year deal.

That said, there is another player that would make sense for the Guardians to re-sign, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand recently pointed out.

The analyst and insider recently suggested that Cleveland could seek a reunion with outfielder Lane Thomas on a short-term deal. 

“Thomas had a frustrating season that saw him play only 39 games due to right wrist and foot issues, the latter of which required surgery in late September. Thomas’ numbers were subpar – he hit four homers with 11 RBIs and a .518 OPS – but he’s shown in the past that he can impact a lineup. A one-year deal to come back to Cleveland in an attempt to re-establish his value would make sense for both sides,” wrote Feinsand.

Thomas’ 2025 numbers weren’t great, as Feissand points out, but he truly was fighting injrues all season long. 

Yes, it was the foot surgery that forced the veteran’s season to end early, but Thomas also missed quite a bit of timeafter being hit on the wrist with a pitch during Cleveland’s home opener back in April. Even when he was one the field dealing with the wrist, Thomas just didn’t look quite right.

A reunion for both sides makes a ton of sense for both Thomas and the Guardians.

The Guardians need offense, they need more outfield depth, and they need more right-handed hitters to face off against left-handed pitchers. Thomas checks all of those boxes and even has the ceiling to be  potential to b

From Lane’s perspective, he can stay with an organization that oversaw his foot srugery and clearly value his impact. If he can reclaim some of his value, he could be seen as a trade candidate leading up to the deadline, or cash in on a payday next offseason. 

A one-year prove it deal isn’t only something that Feinsand suggests could happen, but it’s something the Guardians should look to make happen over the winter.