Guardians’ Steven Kwan Trade Candidacy Explained – Heavy.com

The Cleveland Guardians may trade Steven Kwan this offseason.
At this point, it’s something most Guardians fans are probably well aware of. Kwan has been involved in trade rumors since the 2025 trade deadline, yet he hasn’t gone anywhere yet.
But after Cleveland was eliminated in the ALCS in six games by the Tampa Bay Rays, Kwan’s future was forced to come even more into focus.
This will be Kwan’s last season of arbitration, meaning his salary will likely rise in that salary process. And that also means that he’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2027 season.
The clock is ticking on Kwan’s time in Cleveland, and that’s often when the Guardians spring into action.
Kwan was named Friday as one of the top-40 trade candidates in MLB this offseason by MLB Trade Rumors.
The MLB Trade Rumors article explains what might be next like this:
“The team’s general operating procedure is to trade star players (aside from José Ramírez) once they’re this close to free agency, though. The Padres, Phillies, Cubs, Giants, Yankees, Astros, Blue Jays and Reds are among various teams that should be in contact with the Guardians’ front office.”
It’s clear that if Cleveland decides to move Kwan, there could be a lot of potential landing spots.
He’s a Gold Glove left fielder with great contact skills. That has value for any team in baseball.
“The 29-year-old led the majors in average and on-base percentage from the start of July,” MLB Trade Rumors writes. “Kwan hit .352/.445/.441 down the stretch. He finished the year with a .282/.382/.349 slash, walking at a career-high 13.3% clip against a sub-10% strikeout rate. Kwan’s already fringe power numbers cratered (three homers, .067 ISO), but he ranked among the top 10 qualified hitters in OBP. A four-time Gold Glove winner in left field, Kwan also showed he’s capable of handling a more demanding defensive assignment. He started nearly half of Cleveland’s games in center field and posted plus marks (six Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average alike) over 637 innings. Kwan’s typically stellar left field defense remained intact.”
The MLB Trade Rumors article also notes one reason that the Guardians could keep Kwan.
“The Guards need outfielders and don’t have much on the books for next season, so they could accommodate a projected arbitration salary north of $11MM,” MLB Trade Rumors writes. “They’re not likely to extend him but could get some compensation by issuing a qualifying offer after 2027.”
The qualifying offer after 2027 would allow Kwan to either accept and stay with the Guardians for 2028, or leave in free agency in a move that would bring back a draft pick for Cleveland.
All things considered, that wouldn’t be the worst option for the Guardians.
Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim’s basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men’s national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen
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