The Cleveland Guardians would’ve loved to push this problem off for another few weeks. If they could’ve just made the World Series, their offseason worries would’ve remained a future concern.
But the Guardians’ season ended on Monday night. The Tampa Bay Rays eliminated them in Game 6 of the ALCS. The offseason starts now in Cleveland.
And with that reality comes another truth: The Guardians will soon have to decide what to do with Steven Kwan.
At least based on precedent, Kwan looks like a prime trade candidate this offseason for Cleveland. He’s also built himself into the kind of player who would be a painful one to lose for the Guardians and their fanbase.
So what is Cleveland going to do? The Guardians can no longer avoid that question. The offseason is here.
Why Guardians Would Trade Steven Kwan
The setup here is quite simple: Kwan has reached a point in his contract when the Guardians usually trade players away.
He’s entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, which means two things: He’ll likely be more expensive than he’s ever been for the 2027 season, and he’ll be a free agent after the 2027 campaign is complete.
Kwan is projected by multiple online systems to earn more than $10 million in 2027 after making $7.7 million in 2026. That’s not a giant increase, but in a tightly kept Cleveland payroll, it’s still a jump.
The bigger key is his impending free agency. The Guardians, as a smaller-market team, don’t feel they can let players leave for nothing as free agents. They try to cash in before they’re gone.
While Cleveland could conceptually wait and trade Kwan at next season’s trade deadline, that becomes tougher to do if the Guardians are in contention. If they trade him now, they can see in advance how it impacts their 2027 roster building.
The Guardians trade most players in this scenario. Jose Ramirez is the exception because he has signed two extremely team-friendly contract extensions to stay in Cleveland.
If Kwan doesn’t view himself as coming at a sale price to stay with the Guardians, it’s hard to see them not at least seriously considering trading him.
Lockout Complicates Things
This is going to be a weird offseason, though, so the timeline on everything is hard to figure out.
MLB is almost certainly going to a lockout beginning Dec. 1, and the collective bargaining negotiations could be long and heated. Games could be lost in the 2027 season. Rules could also change that dictate exactly how the Guardians want to handle things.
Trading away Kwan before the lockout would make sure the business is taken care of, but it also runs the risk of not being the ideal move in a new CBA setup.
Waiting makes for an awkward offseason delay for Kwan and Cleveland.
Nothing about this is optimal for the Guardians, but they’re just trying to make the move that sets them up best for years to come — and it won’t be made any easier by the looming lockout.
Guardians Reach Steven Kwan Trade Decision Time