Why Guardians might finally trade away All-Star Gold Glove OF after years of rumors

Why Guardians might finally trade away All-Star Gold Glove OF after years of rumors originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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While the Cleveland Guardians are in the middle of a heated race for the AL Central title with the Chicago White Sox, it’s not too early to look ahead to the offseason.

Their to-do list this winter will be very interesting, as the Guardians need to find a way to upgrade their offense, especially with Jose Ramirez not playing up to his superstar caliber this season coming back from injury.

But one of the moves the Guardians might actually make is trading away beloved Gold Glove outfielder Steven Kwan. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand revealed why Kwan could move, and it’s a very simple reason.

Why Steven Kwan might be traded by Guardians this offseason

“The two-time All-Star has been dangled as a trade candidate in the past, and with only one year remaining until free agency and no extension seemingly in sight, Cleveland could look to move Kwan to bring back younger, more controllable talent,” Feinsand writes.

Kwan has been a name in trade rumors for over a year now, and it would not be a surprise if the Guardians finally pulled it off and shipped him out this upcoming offseason.

He’s 29 years old and will be heading into the final year of his club control in 2027. It would make a lot of sense for the Guardians to trade him if they can’t come to terms on an extension.

It might sting to ship him out, but it’s the right move for a team trying to make the most of their lower payroll. Trading Kwan would net a solid package of prospects or an MLB-caliber player.

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Kwan has played great this season, posting 4.5 bWAR in 137 games with 134 hits, 73 runs scored, 20 doubles, two triples, two homers, 27 RBIS, nine stolen bases, and hitting .272.

The reason why he’s been so valuable, besides his elite defense, is that he has 73 walks this season to 57 strikeouts, easily the best walk-to-strikeout ratio of his MLB career.

Even though his .708 OPS isn’t really anything to get excited about, Kwan’s value to the Guardians’ offense and defense has been good enough that there should be plenty of interested teams this upcoming offseason.

Will the Guardians trade Kwan this winter? Maybe. If they can’t work out a long-term deal, trading Kwan could help them in the long-term.

Kwan’s been floating in trade rumors for a while now, and it would not be a shocker to see Cleveland finally make their decision with the beloved Gold Glove outfielder this upcoming offseason.

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