Earlier in this week, the Kansas City Royals lost outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to the Atlanta Braves. And on Thursday, they made a move in response.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Kansas City signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year, $5.25 million contract that also includes $1 million in incentives.

Thomas had spent parts of the last two seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, though his stint with the team was rather uneventful.

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Last season, the Tennessee native played 39 games, batting .160 and recording four home runs and 11 RBIs in 142 plate appearances. He last appeared in a game for Cleveland on July 4th as he missed the remainder of the season due to a foot injury, which he ultimately underwent surgery for in September.

Though his play left a lot to be desired last season, it was not all that long ago that Thomas made a real impact as a member of the Washington Nationals.

During the 2023 season, Thomas batted .268 with 28 home runs and 86 RBIs in 682 plate appearances across 156 games.

Though the 30-year-old is not an All-Star candidate and is not a blockbuster addition for Kansas City, it is still a low-risk, high-reward signing that could pay dividends next year.

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The Royals have a very talented team, led by Bobby Witt Jr., who finished fourth in AL MVP voting last season and earned a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award. They also got incredible play out of infielder Maikel Garcia, who finished 14th in AL MVP voting and earned a Gold Glove award himself, as well as pitchers Noah Cameron, Kris Bubic, and Carlos Estevez.

Even so, the Royals finished third in their division behind the Guardians and Detroit Tigers and missed the postseason for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.

A big reason for their recent shortcomings is because of their poor outfield, which the team is looking to upgrade this season.

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Rookie Jac Caglianone, who played 52 games in the outfield but 62 overall last season, batted .157 and recorded seven home runs, 18 RBIs, and 52 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances. Additionally, while Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel improved from their lackluster 2024 offensive seasons, they are still far from irreplaceable.

The offseason is still young, so there will be plenty of time for Kansas City to optimize its roster as much as possible. But for now, it seems evident what the team’s priorities are, and that will be worth keeping an eye on as they look to make it back to the postseason next year.