The Phillies waited until the very end of deadline day to add the right-handed outfielder they’d been hunting, and the name they landed was Colby Thomas.
According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Philadelphia struck a deal with the Athletics, sending reliever Seth Johnson to Oakland in exchange for the 25-year-old outfielder. Stark wrote, “The Phillies made a minor-league trade at the buzzer,” adding, “RHP Seth Johnson to the A's for outfielder Colby Thomas. But ran out of time shopping for one more starter or reliever.”
It was the last move of a busy day for the Phillies, who had already opened with two significant trades - one for Luis Arraez and Caleb Kilian, and another for Brooks Raley. Even after that, the front office still had clear needs, including another starter, another reliever and, above all, a right-handed bat in the outfield.
Thomas fits that handedness profile, but the early big-league results have been rough. In his rookie season last year, he played 49 games and posted six homers, a .225 batting average and a .684 OPS in 120 at-bats. This season has gone even more slowly: in 55 games, he has four home runs, a .202 average and a .569 OPS in 114 at-bats.
The numbers reflect it, too. Thomas finished last year with -0.1 bWAR and is at -0.8 bWAR so far this season.
Still, there’s a reason Philadelphia was willing to take a shot. Thomas has mashed in the minors, where he owns 72 home runs in 1,421 at-bats and an .885 OPS across all levels. At Triple-A this season, he has five home runs and a .971 OPS in 68 at-bats.
And while this wasn’t the impact outfield addition many Phillies fans were hoping for, Thomas does come with long-term control. He’s under club control through 2031, which leaves open the possibility that he develops into a useful piece for Philadelphia down the road.
In Other News...
As Face A Tough Call With Kurtz And Wilson
The Athletics have already spent much of the summer navigating one injury after another, with Brent Rooker done for the season after surgery and Shea Langeliers likely to miss the rest of it after choosing a non-surgical route. It has turned into a difficult stretch for a club trying to keep its lineup together, and the latest developments only add to the uncertainty around two of the teams most important young bats.
Nick Kurtz is scheduled to see a hand specialist about his lingering right thumb injury, a sign the issue is still serious enough to warrant another look. Jacob Wilson is also working through patellar tendonitis, and the possibility of shoulder surgery is now part of the conversation, leaving the A's with even more to sort out as they try to piece together what remains of their infield. [Read more 🡒]
A's Face One Real Deadline Decision As Jonah Heim Draws Attention
The Athletics have already spent the summer making smaller moves, dealing Aaron Civale to the Chicago Cubs and Brett Harris to the Boston Red Sox, and the next decision could carry more weight than the others. With Shea Langeliers out for the season, Oakland has leaned on Jonah Heim behind the plate, giving the veteran catcher an important role on a club that is drifting further from contention.
That setup has naturally pushed Heim into the center of deadline conversation, especially with the catching market looking thin and contenders such as the Yankees still searching for help. For the As, the question is less about whether there is interest and more about how far they want to go in selling off a player who has become part of their short-term patchwork while the rest of the roster keeps changing around him. [Read more 🡒]