Guardians predicted to trade Steven Kwan in offseason after deadline rumors

Guardians predicted to trade Steven Kwan in offseason after deadline rumors originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Cleveland Guardians had a tumultuous trade deadline, despite making two moves. A few days before the deadline, Emmanuel Clase was placed on leave as MLB was investigating the All-Star closer.

Steven Kwan was also the subject of trade rumors, with plenty of teams vying for the Gold Glove left fielder. But he wasn't dealt, even though the Los Angeles Dodgers were reportedly close to a deal.

However, for Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, the offseason could be an opportunity for the Guardians to trade Kwan once more. Miller predicts that in the offseason, thanks in part to the trade rumors at the deadline, Kwan could be moved for a strong package.

"Had Kwan not been such a pervasive name on the trade block in late July, this wouldn't make much sense." Miller writes. "Cleveland was in the ALCS just last October and is right there in the wild card mix this year..."

But, while the Guardians have all the signs of a team that would keep a player like Kwan, they had been rumored to be listening to offers and nearly trading him at the deadline. Those rumors have Kelly believing he could be on the move in the offseason.

"Nevertheless, the reports were that they were pretty aggressively shopping him right up until the deadline, so it seems as though they aren't that interested in spending what will probably be around $20 million over the course of the next two seasons on a guy they probably wouldn't (be able to) re-sign after 2027."

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Cleveland trading Kwan would be a tough blow, especially after they kept him through the trade deadline, and went on a solid run to shrink the Detroit Tigers' lead in the AL Central.

But, with teams likely interested in Kwan, as evidenced by the active trade talks at the deadline, the Guardians could decide to part ways with him in the offseason.

One of the big reasons why they might consider such a solution is that Kwan will be expensive in short order, and his .735 OPS and 103 OPS+ might not be enough to justify spending top-dollar on Kwan.

He's a great left fielder and makes solid contact, but lacks the slug to be a top offensive threat in baseball. The Guardians could get a strong return for him in the offseason, save some money down the line, and pave the way for other roster moves by trading Kwan.

It wouldn't be a popular decision, but based on the return and flexibility such a deal would bring, it's something that Miller believes the Guardians will consider after the 2025 season.

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