When the Diamondbacks designated outfielder Alek Thomas for assignment last Friday, it signaled a surprising turn for a player who became a fan favorite with his excellent play during the team's run to the 2023 World Series. Today that tenure came to an end as Thomas is headed to the Dodgers in a trade that will send minor leaguer outfielder Jose Requena to Arizona.
Thomas's demotion was a result of the Diamondbacks calling up their top prospect in Ryan Waldschmidt. The move came after a disasterous start to the season for Thomas, who is hitting .181 in 100 plate appearances and carries a .222 on-base percentage. It's a far cry from the promise he showed a few years ago when he served as a key cog in Torey Lovullo's pennant-winning unit. In 17 playoff games Thomas blasted four clutch home runs and posted a .734 OPS during that postseason.
Matching those numbers has proven difficult for Thomas who leaves Arizona after 448 games with a career .230/.273/.361 slash line. His most memorable moment was a late game-tying home run off of Craig Kimbrel in Game 4 of the 2023 NLCS that led the Diamondbacks to an eventual victory and a seven-game triumph.
Thomas was a second round pick in 2018 and has shown that he can help a team win when it matters most. For the Dodgers he's definitely worth taking a flyer on as his development would be a luxury amid an already immensely talented roster.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers Trade for Diamondbacks’ 2023 Postseason Hero.
