Is Lane Thomas the next player to breakout after leaving the Cardinals?

Randy Arozarena and Adolis Garcia broke out after leaving the St Louis Cardinals. Could Lane Thomas  be next in line?

Once Randy Arozarena burst onto the scene last October, carrying the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series during a heroic postseason effort, the conversation turned to the St. Louis Cardinals giving up on their players too early.

The Cardinals remain happy with the Arozarena trade, believing that left-hander Matthew Liberatore has the ability to lead the rotation in future seasons and potentially debut in 2022. But as they watched Arozarena burst onto the scene last year and with Adolis Garcia doing the same with the Texas Rangers this season, that conversation has only grown louder. Now, Lane Thomas, who was traded to the Washington Nationals for lefty Jon Lester, might be the next candidate of former Cardinals to burst onto the scene once leaving St. Louis.

The sample size is small, of course, and that should heavily be taken into account considering Thomas’ .104/.259/.125 slashline in 48 at-bats with the Cardinals. But in six games with the Nationals, Thomas is slashing .600/.700/.867. And in the Nationals’ three-game series against the Brewers this past weekend, he hit 7-for-11 with two doubles, a triple and three walks, driving in three runs and scoring twice.

Not great, even though it came against the Brewers, who lead the Cardinals in the National League Central by 12 games. It’s the kind of ability the Cardinals thought Thomas, 25, had when he slashed .316/.409/.684 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 44 games. He battled injuries and struggled to get consistent playing time following those injuries, which contributed to his struggles in 2020 and 2021.

It reached a point this season where the Cardinals had to move on from Thomas, whether it be in a trade for a veteran pitcher or simply by designating him for assignment. But while he is producing now, it’s unimaginable that Thomas will be able to continue at this level of production. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak and the front office did something that had to be done. They needed to move on from Thomas. And they can’t be faulted for it, despite Thomas breaking out early on in Washington.