Despite having the third-lowest scoring offense in the National League, the San Diego Padres are more than alive when it comes to the playoff race. Last night, the usually putrid offense came back down 5-1 after Mark Vientos hit a grand slam off (hopefully soon to be traded) Dylan Cease. The Padres responded in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead and eventually won on a Elias Diaz walk-off single. Easily one of the best Padres games of the season!
The Padres have now won three games in a row and are finally showing their heartbeat after two months of mediocre baseball. It’s coming at the perfect time, too. We all know that general manager, AJ Preller, loves the flashy trades. Now, he has an even better reason to pull something off.
Multiple players have been linked to the Padres throughout the season, and it’s clear that they are targeting an outfielder. Luckily for Preller, one of his targets may have just become available.
Steven Kwan Rumors
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that with Emmanuel Clase being put under investigation, the Guardians are more likely to move Steven Kwan. In addition, he went on to say that the left fielder has received a “ton” of interest and listed San Diego as a potential suitor.
Since the beginning of the season, the Padres have had interest in trading for Red Sox Jarren Duran. What do you know…another lefty, contact-hitting outfielder. There shouldn’t be any questions about the type of player the Friars are going after.
Why He’s the Best Addition for the Padres
We’ve established that Steven Kwan is the exact type of player that Preller is looking for. Outside of Gavin Sheets, the Padres have gotten basically zero value out of their left field position. Plus, Sheets is more suited to be a designated hitter.
Adding Kwan would do wonders for this offense. As a hitter, he’s extremely similar to Luis Arraez. The Guardians’ outfielder squares up the ball in the 98th percentile, and his whiff and strikeout rates are 100th and 99th, respectively. The biggest difference between the two at the plate is that Kwan walks at a much higher rate. He isn’t a power hitter by any means, but on-base ability paired with excellent gap-to-gap hitting makes him a plus offensive player.
Outside of the offense, he is a premium base-runner and defender. He’s graded as above-average to elite in those categories every year of his career. Since 2022, the outfielder has put up 20 OAA (outs above average). No other way to put it, besides that he is a quality ball player across the board.
Concerns with the Trade
Even though almost everyone in the Friar Faithful would be happy to have Steven Kwan on the team, there are still a couple of concerns. First, it would be the trade capital that would be sent to the Guardians. He would come with two years of team control, which would make the two-time All-Star’s price tag pretty high. Would it cost top prospect, Leo De Vries? No, but it would take a package that includes either Ethan Salas, Brandon Nett, or Kash Mayfield. Maybe multiple of them. The reality is that he won’t come cheap.
The other issue with adding Kwan is that he doesn’t bring the much-needed pop to the Padres’ lineup. The team is second-to-last in the MLB in home runs. If the Friars do indeed add him, they will also have to trade for another bat with more pop. That may be difficult if you are already parting with significant prospect capital.
Chances the Padres Acquire Kwan
With Jarren Duran not being available, it’s extremely likely that Kwan is at the top of the Padres trade board. He may not fix the Padres’ power issue, but he fills the team’s biggest need. He slots in left field and can give the Padres the left-handed bat they desperately need. There aren’t many high-quality players expected to be moved this deadline. The most impactful player the Padres can trade for is Steven Kwan.
Steven Kwan is the Perfect Trade Fit for the Padres