The Cleveland Guardians, whether they’ve intended to or not, have dealt with Steven Kwan trade rumors for more than a year.
They’ve now reached an offseason, to add to the mix, where Kwan will seem more likely than ever to be traded.
Kwan is a standout ballplayer, both a quality leadoff hitter and a Gold Glove defender in left field. Most teams in MLB would be interested in him if he ended up on the block.
Add in the fact that this is the last season of Kwan’s current contract coming up, and that he’s due for a raise in salary arbitration, and it really aligns with the timeline when the Guardians often trade their best players (that aren’t named Jose Ramirez).
Kwan isn’t new to the rumor mill, though. He was floated as a trade candidate as early as the 2025 trade deadline. It didn’t happen then, or last offseason, or at this year’s trade deadline.
Could the Guardians hold Kwan now and still trade him at the 2027 deadline? Sure. But the most likely time Cleveland would trade Kwan, if it’s going to happen, would be this winter — lockout permitting.
The Guardians recently made clear how they feel as an organization about this possibility, and it’s worth noting even while recognizing that things could change in a hurry in the NFL.
Guardians Make Steven Kwan Trade Decision
The Guardians have made it clear that they don’t intend to trade Kwan.
“As we sit here today, we’re expecting Steven Kwan to be a big part of a contending team next year,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti shared recently, via Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes.
That’s obviously what a front office leader is going to say at this point in the timeline. It wouldn’t benefit Antonetti to share different thoughts publicly.
Still, it’s at least a positive sign for any Guardians fans who want to keep Kwan around going forward.
Guardians Conundrum
The Guardians often reach a point like this. They’re unlikely to be the team to give Kwan his next long-term contract unless he offers a steep sale price for his deal.
But this is also a team that just played six games in the ALCS. Can they really trade away one of their best players?
It’s a question that big-market teams don’t have to answer, but Cleveland doesn’t fit that descriptor. This is a franchise that has to contemplate moves like trading Kwan before he leaves a year later in free agency.
The Guardians are saying they won’t do it, and maybe that’s true. But the rumors will persist anyway, because it would fit the bill for Cleveland, and because many fans are intrigued by the idea of having Kwan on their team instead.
Guardians Make Decision on Trading Steven Kwan