Thomas is still a National, but his deadpan comment underscored an uncomfortable reality. For the second straight season, Thomas’s future with Washington is in limbo ahead of the trade deadline. Thomas enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023, with a first half that made him worthy of all-star consideration. His numbers have dipped this season, but he remains an intriguing trade piece ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

“I feel fine,” Thomas said Tuesday. “There’s still games to play, whether it’s here or somewhere else. I got to still be ready to play every day like I can. … I try not to think too far down the road, wherever it’s at. It’s happened to me before, so it’s nothing I haven’t had to deal with.”

Thomas landed with the Nationals at the 2021 trade deadline, when St. Louis sent the outfielder to Washington in a deal for aging starter Jon Lester. The 28-year-old, who is under team control through 2025, entered Sunday on a 24-game on-base streak. He also is third in MLB with 27 stolen bases, behind only Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz and Milwaukee’s Brice Turang.

Thomas, who missed a month of the season with a medial collateral ligament sprain, is batting .250 with a 110 OPS+. His .399 slugging percentage is down from .468 in 2023, and he has just eight home runs.

Thomas is being more patient this year — his chase percentage is down to 20.4 percent; the league average is 28.3. Defensively, he still has elite arm strength, but his range has taken a step back.

As the deadline looms, Thomas’s comments on the team and his future sound about like what you would expect from a player who has been in this spot. Teams wanting him is a privilege, he says; it means he is playing well. He wants to see Washington’s rebuild through — a point he previously emphasized. He knows he has no say in all this. For Thomas, it’s simply business as usual — a mindset Manager Dave Martinez remembers from his playing days.

“I didn’t really think about it,” said Martinez, who was traded five times. “I always said to myself: ‘I love the team I play for and I’m going to play as hard as I can. If they decide that they’re going to go in a different direction, I’m going to put the uniform on and love that team just as much.’”

“It’s not my job to — what’s the word? — play GM,” Thomas said. “I just got to keep doing what they’re paying me to do.”

Washington, which on Sunday traded outfielder Jesse Winker to the New York Mets, could have moved Thomas last season but opted to keep him patrolling the outfield at Nationals Park. Thomas isn’t on an expiring deal this year, so the Nationals could do that again. But in just a year, the landscape has changed as Washington’s minor league system improved.

The Nationals have outfield depth in the minors — Dylan Crews, the No. 2 pick of the 2023 draft, is at Class AAA Rochester. Robert Hassell III, Daylen Lile and Andrew Pinckney are at Class AA Harrisburg, though Hassell is rehabbing a wrist injury.

With Crews knocking on the door and more coming behind him, Washington could maximize value for Thomas. And a return of controllable minor leaguers, or even big leaguers, for Thomas would bolster Washington’s system even more.

Thomas has dominated left-handed pitching in his career but has been less effective against righties. His numbers suggest he would fare best in a platoon, but General Manager Mike Rizzo recently reiterated that he views Thomas as an everyday player, which would garner a bigger return. If a platoon return doesn’t meet Rizzo’s asking price, he would be less inclined to pull off a trade. But if a team is desperate for outfield help, it could offer the Nationals something better.

Thomas also has grown into a clubhouse leader during his time in Washington. Outfielder Jacob Young called him “the face that I believe you’d want to lead the organization.” Young remembers being nervous when he was called up last season, hoping someone would show him how to be a big leaguer. That someone became Thomas, who Young said led by example.

Over the past year, Thomas has taught Young the little things, such as what to wear on the road, how to establish a routine and how to carry himself in the clubhouse. Young said Thomas is always keeping things loose with his humor — even about himself. Young said Thomas has been joking in recent weeks about how he has to pack in case he is traded.

“You don’t want to see guys like that go,” Young said. “He’s the right guy for us young guys to look at for how to play the game and what to do. Luckily, he was here for long enough that, if he does get traded, he showed us the ropes and how to lead the next group of guys. … But it would definitely be a tough scene to watch him go if it does happen.”