Phillies Showing a 'Ton' of Interest in Guardians' Steven Kwan: Rosenthal

Phillies Showing a 'Ton' of Interest in Guardians' Steven Kwan: Rosenthal originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Philadelphia Phillies are starting to slip in the NL East standings and are now 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for first place. However, the trade deadline offers Philadelphia an opportunity to improve its roster in anticipation of one final two-month-long sprint to the postseason. One area Dave Dombrowski, Philadelphia's president of baseball operations, is keen to address is the outfield, mainly left field.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Phillies are among the teams to show a “ton” of interest in Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.

Although Cleveland was initially reluctant to trade Kwan, according to Rosenthal, the loss of closer Emmanuel Clase to disciplinary leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting has altered their deadline plans.

The bar to acquire Kwan will be high due to his age (27) and the years remaining on his contract. Kwan has two more years of arbitration remaining and will not reach free agency until 2028. While it may force the Phillies to relinquish more than they would like, it is a further reason to make a deal for Kwan.

The left-hander hitter would instantly slide into left field and supplant Max Kepler from his starting role. Among qualified left fielders, Kwan leads the league in hits, ranks second in batting average (.287), and has the lowest strikeout percentage. He also provides excellent defense, leading all left fielders with 13 defensive runs saved and the second-highest defensive WAR, per FanGraphs.

Philadelphia may want to improve its bullpen or push all its chips in to acquire third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Yet, the smart option is to target Kwan and secure a brighter present and future, rather than just the former.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.