The Cleveland Guardians are still locked in on the playoffs. They’re playing in the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays. A spot in the World Series is on the line.
Eventually, though, they’ll have to reckon with a trade rumor that has been hovering over their heads for more than a year: Steven Kwan.
No matter where the Guardians look or what they do, they can’t escape the fact that a lot of analysts think that Kwan should be traded.
The outside viewpoint doesn’t necessarily impact how Cleveland views such a decision. It also doesn’t have to change how Kwan feels about the Guardians, either.
But there is a truth to the rumor, and it could come to a head this offseason.
Steven Kwan Trade Rumor
The reality of Kwan heading toward the 2027 season will be this: It’ll be his last season under his current contract.
That aligns strongly with when Cleveland trades players away.
The Guardians don’t often sign their top pieces to long-term, expensive contract extensions. Jose Ramirez is the exception, only because he took a massive underpay in order to stick around.
Unless Kwan also wants to present his future as a bargain bin option for the Guardians, he then is a conundrum.
If the Guardians keep Kwan for 2027, they risk losing him for nothing. But if they trade him, they risk not matching his value from other players.
Still, the thinking will remain — Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter in an article on Monday wrote that Kwan is a logical offseason trade chip.
“Kwan was the third-highest paid player on the Guardians roster with a $7.725 million salary in 2026, and that is projected to climb well north of $10 million next season,” Kwan writes. “The Guardians operate with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and Kwan has been a speculative trade candidate for years now. Ahead of his final year of control, flipping him would fit organizational philosophy. The emergence of Chase DeLauter and addition of Jo Adell has also improved the outfield picture in Cleveland.”
In the grand scheme of the larger markets, those dollar values really would be of no concern. But they are keeping track of those things in Cleveland, and it could dictate Kwan’s future.
One Other Option
The Guardians could also take a risk. They could hold onto Kwan this offseason.
If they did that, the last potential window to trade him would be before the 2027 trade deadline — and that would be impacted by whether Kwan is healthy at the time and how he’s playing. It would also be tricky if the Guardians and Kwan were both playing really well to deal him away at that time.
While it would hurt to trade Kwan away at any time, there’d likely be less emotions connected directly to the trade if they do it in the offseason.
Of course, if Kwan helps lead Cleveland to the World Series, that could change his sentimental value to the franchise, too.
So until the playoffs are done, it’s hard to know for sure. But no matter what Kwan does in October, this discussion isn’t going away.
Guardians’ Steven Kwan Trade Could Be Coming