Steven Kwan is going to have his name floating through trade rumors as soon as the Cleveland Guardians‘ season ends, and until he’s either moved, signs an extension, or the next season begins with him still on the roster.
Really, Kwan has been in the rumors since the middle of the 2025 season. The Guardians rarely keep players beyond their first six years of club control, and with that in mind, they often then trade them away to ensure they get some value rather than losing them in free agency for nothing.
Some rumors are more palatable for Cleveland supporters than others, though.
Because the latest trade idea involving Kwan would send him to the Chicago Cubs — the team that broke Cleveland’s hearts in the 2016 World Series.
Steven Kwan to Cubs?
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller included the Guardians trading Kwan to the Cubs as part of his new article on Monday examining “realistic” trades for the offseason.
He puts together the whole package, one that would have the Guardians sending Kwan to the Cubs for two prospects.
The two players Cleveland would get in return in this proposal are right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins and utility man James Triantos. Both are former second-round picks who have yet to debut in the major leagues.
“On the prospects front, Jaxon Wiggins entered 2026 as a top 100 prospect on Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB, but he was a mess at Triple-A Iowa, walking nearly 20 percent of batters faced,” Miller writes. “Maybe Cleveland can fix his command, though, while James Triantos has .300 batting average, 30 stolen bases potential to replace Kwan.”
As far as player types, those guys both fit the Cleveland mold. The Guardians love to make pitchers better, and they certainly would enjoy a speedy contact guy like Triantos.
Dealing away Kwan would still be a tough pill to swallow for the Cleveland fanbase regardless.
Why Guardians Would Trade Steven Kwan
It all comes down to money in Cleveland.
When players get near the end of their contracts, the choice is either to extend them for more cash, or send them away for future value.
Aside from Jose Ramirez, the Guardians generally choose the latter approach.
“At any rate, two winters ago, they traded away the final five seasons of their seven-year contract with Andrés Giménez, and subsequently shipped Josh Naylor to Arizona, rather than paying what ended up being a $10.9M salary in his final year of arbitration eligibility,” Miller writes. “Despite their penny-pinching ways, they just keep making the postseason, winning the AL Central for the seventh time in 11 years. So, if they can turn one year of Kwan into a pair of former second-round picks, history suggests they probably will.”
Kwan is entering the final year of his contract. He’s arbitration-eligible for the final time and will probably get paid $10-11 million for 2027.
Whether it’s the Guardians paying him that or a different team is what this offseason will determine.
Guardians’ Nemesis Might Trade for Steven Kwan