The Braves didn’t wait around at the end of July. Two days before the MLB trade deadline, Atlanta landed Royals outfielder Lane Thomas and pitcher Bailey Falter in a deal that gives the club another right-handed bat and some pitching depth.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the agreement on Aug. 1, and Robert Murray of FanSided reported that Kansas City is getting prospects Carter Holton and Lucas Braun in return.
Thomas arrives as a notable fit in a market where buyers were plentiful, sellers were scarce and right-handed hitters were not easy to find. The 30-year-old was hitting .230/.325/.392 in 96 games for the Royals this season. Still, his upside is clear enough: he is just three years removed from a 28-homer breakout with the Washington Nationals.
Across eight major league seasons, Thomas has 86 home runs, 291 RBIs and a .240/.311/.415 line while spending time with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2019-21, the Nationals from 2021-24, the Cleveland Guardians from 2024-25 and the Royals.
Falter, 29, brings a different kind of value. The left-hander is 25-32 with a 4.77 ERA over six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2021-23, the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2023-25 and the Royals from 2025-26. This season has been a grind for him.
He missed time earlier in the year because of left elbow inflammation, then struggled badly after coming back from a minor league rehab assignment. Before Kansas City designated him for assignment on May 27, Falter had gone 0-2 with a 13.97 ERA in five games, including two starts.
He did settle in at Triple-A Omaha, where he went 2-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 17 games, seven of them starts.
Because Falter was technically movable after the Aug. 3 deadline, which only blocks trades involving players on 40-man rosters, he could wind up with Atlanta’s Triple-A club. Even so, he remains a possible option for the Braves’ bullpen or rotation later in the season.
Atlanta enters the stretch run at 66-45 and sits 8.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Thomas gives the Braves another right-handed bat as left-handers Christopher Sanchez and Jesús Luzardo try to help the Phillies chase their third straight title.
In Other News...
Royals Deadline Plans Could Reveal Who They Still Trust
The Royals are still sorting through what this stretch means for the rest of the season after a fourth straight loss pushed them 21 games below .500 heading into the trade deadline. Matt Quatraro sounded frustrated with the skid, but the bigger issue for Kansas City is how to navigate a roster hit by injuries to Bobby Witt Jr., Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic while also trying to keep the focus on what comes next. Recent trades involving Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter already signaled that the front office is willing to keep adjusting.
With more deadline movement still possible, Kansas Citys next decisions may say as much about who the club still believes in as about who it is ready to move on from. The Royals have been talking about adding younger players to the mix for the stretch run, which makes the coming days especially revealing because the choices are not just about selling, but about the kind of roster they want to build around the injuries and uncertainty they are dealing with now. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Deadline Approach Around Bobby Witt Jr. Just Got More Complicated
The Royals entered the trade deadline already trying to juggle injuries, roster churn and a club that still sees itself as very much in the race. Matt Quatraro has had to manage the ripple effects of Luinder Avila landing on the injured list while Kyle Isbel works back into the mix, a reminder that Kansas Citys immediate challenge is not just adding talent, but keeping enough of the current group intact to make the push around Bobby Witt Jr.
Even so, the front office has made one thing clear in the days leading up to the deadline: it is not looking at every veteran as a movable piece. The clubs stance on its pitching depth has made the market harder to read, and it leaves the Royals trying to balance present urgency with the longer view of a team that still believes its best stretch may be ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Massey Has Royals Fans Debating His Long Term Role
Michael Massey has given the Royals a useful look in 2026, and its enough to keep the conversation around him going. The second baseman has supplied above-average pop for the position, and a .263/.298/.417 line with a 94 wRC+ suggests a player who can help a lineup in stretches even if the profile is not perfectly polished.
The question for Kansas City is whether that version of Massey can keep holding up over the long run. His low walk rate and high chase rate outside the zone leave plenty of room for pitchers to work him, even as he handles breaking balls well enough to stay dangerous. The bigger concern is how often 4-seam fastballs have given him trouble, since that one hole can shape the way teams decide to use him, and how fans ultimately view his place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]