While everyone’s eyes were on the Phillies at the trade deadline, most had tunnel vision.

All they were looking for was a big name that they knew would lead the Phillies to the third world championship in their history.

Early in the day came Luis Arraez, the National League’s batting leader. That was a nice soothing eye-wash for the fans but surely, there would be more.

The prying eyes were just about dried out again before the Phillies made another move, and this one barely made them blink.

The Phillies sent reliever Seth Johnson to the — no longer Oakland — A’s for outfielder Colby Thomas.

Many on social media were happy to have Johnson, who had struggled at the major league level but had impressed with Lehigh Valley, out of the organization. But they were expecting something bigger. Those eyes had fallen asleep and missed what the Phillies had gotten in exchange for the relatively low price that they paid.

Thomas, 25, showed fans at the IronPigs game Saturday night just what type of player he is.

He entered the game as a pinch-runner after Carter Kieboom led off the eighth inning with a single. On an 0-2 pitch to Otto Kemp, Thomas broke for second. Seeing that the ball was grounded to third baseman Tyler Hardman, who was making the routine throw to first to get Kemp, Thomas never broke stride as he stepped on second base.

In full sprint mode to third, the throw back across the diamond to third went well wide. Thomas picked himself up off of the dirt and scored easily to give Lehigh Valley a 5-4 lead late in the game.

“He’s just got some really elite tools, so it makes us a little bit more dynamic. On defense he can go and get it with the best of them, he can steal a base, he runs well, there’s a lot of power,” said Lehigh Valley manager Tank Adamson.

“He’s another professional, and the way he goes about his business every day has been really cool to see. And he’s fitting in great, so I’m excited to see what happens down the stretch.”

When it comes to a mental approach, Thomas draws from his other favorite sport — football. A multi-sport athlete during his high school days, Thomas loved to be on the football field, but there was one problem.

“I don’t think I was good enough to play football at the next level. But I love football,” said Thomas. “I just love the mentality, and I try to bring that into baseball. If I’m going to make a mistake, at least I’ll be making it with a 100-percent effort. If it turns into a mistake, I’ll accept that, but that’s how I want to do it.”

Thomas and his wife, high school sweetheart Anna Grace, were in the middle of the desert driving from Sacramento to Las Vegas after he had been optioned from the A’s, who are playing their “home” games in Sacramento, to their Triple-A team in Las Vegas — the future home of the A’s.

Fortunately, they had cell service because that’s when the call came that Thomas had been traded.

After making his major league debut last season, Thomas was optioned to Vegas to start the 2026 season. Before April ended he was back in the majors, but never found his offense. In 55 games with the A’s, Thomas was batting just .202 with four home runs and 11 RBIs, hence the demotion back to Las Vegas.

Now, Thomas has a new opportunity, and he and his wife are glad to be back on the East Coast. In his first nine games with the IronPigs, Thomas is batting just .154, but working to find the stroke that made him a top prospect in the Athletics’ organization.

“Sophomore year was the first time I’ve ever struggled — really struggled — in baseball. So I had to learn how to fail and now it’s not a panic when I do fail,” said Thomas. “I’m looking at this year, and I know that’s not the kind of player I am. It’s not anything to freak out about, it’s just something you’ve got to work through.”

THE WEEK THAT WAS ... Lehigh Valley threw a bit of an obstacle in front of Scranton’s quest for a playoff spot by winning four of the five games the two teams played at Coca-Cola Park last week. The Pigs won a pair of 5-4 games, and then also won games by scores of 11-3 and 13-1. Sunday’s game was stopped after one inning of play when the field was deemed unplayable. LV is now 22-22 in the second half, and 5 ½ games behind Indianapolis for a playoff spot. Scranton is now 25-17 just 1 ½ games behind Indianapolis.

HIT BY PITCH ... Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitchers have hit IronPigs batters with pitches 18 times in 18 games this season. It turned serious for Lehigh Valley when Felix Reyes was hit in the right wrist with a pitch in Friday night’s game and had to exit. Reyes was placed on the IL early on Saturday. There has been no official announcement on the extent of the injury, but there is concern that it could be serious. The two teams had a bench clearing incident in Scranton back in June. The Pigs visit Moosic for a seven-game series against the RailRiders beginning Sept. 1, with Sunday’s suspended game being added as the first game of a doubleheader on the opening day of the series.

REBRANDED ... The rival Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders will no longer exist after the 2026 season. The RailRiders, who became the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees following the 2006 season, will be rebranding with a new moniker and of course, a new logo. “This rebrand is about building an identity that our community can rally around for generations to come,” team president and general manager Shawn Reilly said in a press release. Prior to the 2007 season, Scranton was the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies and was known as the Red Barons.

WANT TO HAVE A CATCH? ... With the Phillies on the road, injured reliever Tanner Banks has been getting in some conditioning and throwing work with the IronPigs. While the odds of Banks returning to the Phillies this season aren’t great, but he has been doing some throwing in the pen. Last week, he was throwing to Rafael Marchan, who is with Lehigh Valley on a rehab assignment.