Folks, we have our first official #HugWatch of the MLB trade season. Kansas City Royals outfielder Lane Thomas was pulled in the middle of Saturday’s game against the Rockies and was seen giving handshakes and hugs to his teammates — all the hallmarks of a trade.
It sure didn’t take long to get confirmation that a trade was finalized. Thomas, along with relief pitcher Bailey Falter, will be going to the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. It’s unclear who Atlanta is sending back in return. Thomas, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Royals this offseason and leaves them after 97 games. In that time, Thomas posted a .231 batting average and .710 OPS, hitting 10 home runs and stealing four bases. He’s a strong baserunner who figures to get at-bats for the Braves against left-handed pitchers.
Falter is a bit of an odd fit with the Braves. The former starter has thrown only 9.2 innings this season for Kansas City and holds a 13.97 ERA. He has struggled in stops with the Phillies, Pirates, and Royals. Atlanta’s bullpen has been strong this season; between Raisel Iglesias, Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, and Dylan Dodd, they have enough arms to get through a playoff run, and enough lefties between the two Dylans. Perhaps they’ll try to stretch him back out as a starter, since Chris Sale has been the only sure thing in the rotation, but it’s a long shot that Falter can contribute to the rotation this year. He has no options remaining on his deal, so the Braves do intend to keep him in the big league club.
Atlanta will be sending two prospects — Lucas Braun and Carter Holton — back to Kansas City in exchange, as reported by Robert Murray:
Braun is the headliner, ranked eighth in Atlanta’s system according to MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old advanced to AAA this season and has a 3.16 ERA with Atlanta’s Gwinnett affiliate through 62.2 innings. Not an overwhelming stuff guy, Braun throws six different pitches and has excelled at changing the movements and speeds of those pitches to keep hitters off-balance. He fits in well with a Kansas City organization that values command and movement over velocity, and could be in the Royals rotation as soon as next season.
Holton has seemingly fallen out of favor with the Braves since being picked in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Vanderbilt. After making one appearance at rookie ball, he was shut down with an elbow injury and missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Holton got back into action this year with Single-A Augusta, but has a 5.08 ERA in 33.2 innings. The Royals will take a chance on his arm getting stronger as he puts more distance between himself and the dreaded Tommy John.
