Guardians Could Trade Steven Kwan This Offseason

September 18, 2026
Cleveland has talked about trading Steven Kwan before and never pulled the trigger. 

This offseason might be different, and the calendar is the reason why.

Feinsand Says This Could Be The Year

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand named Kwan among 11 notable offseason trade candidates in a piece published September 10, and the reasoning is entirely because of timing. 

"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 wrote. 

That's different from past trade speculation around Kwan, which usually centered on in-season value at the deadline rather than an offseason sell. Kwan will head into 2027 as the final year of his club control before reaching free agency, and Cleveland's front office has a well-documented pattern of moving talented players rather than paying them at market rate once their contracts near the end, something that already played out with Josh Naylor. 

The Guardians have made a small number of exceptions to that approach. Jose Ramirez signed a seven-year, $175 million restructured extension in January, and Tanner Bibee signed a five-year, $48 million deal back in March 2025, but those remain the only two significant long-term commitments on the current roster. 

Nothing similar has materialized for Kwan despite years of speculation, and with the trade clock now down to one season, Cleveland's options are narrowing to either extend him, trade him this winter, or risk watching him walk for nothing but a compensatory pick down the road. 

Down Numbers, Up Value

The surface-level stats might suggest Kwan's stock has cooled, but the underlying numbers tell a different story entirely. 

His counting totals are modest this year, just two home runs, 27 RBIs and 72 runs scored across 136 games, numbers that would normally suggest a player in decline. 

Feinsand pointed out that his .371 on-base percentage and 4.4 bWAR are actually his best marks since his 2022 rookie season, and he continues to rank in the top 10 percent of the league in strikeout rate, walk rate and Outs Above Average, the exact skill set that made him a two-time Gold Glove winner and All-Star in the first place. 

Kwan's season also included a rough opening stretch that got him dropped from Cleveland's leadoff spot in May, followed by a dramatic second-half turnaround. 

Over 48 games since the All-Star break, he's slashed .353/.434/.421 with elite plate discipline, drawing 27 walks against just 21 strikeouts in 190 at-bats.

Cleveland has floated Kwan's name in trade rumors for more than a year now without ever completing a deal. With free agency now just one season away and no extension in sight, this offseason may be the last window where the Guardians can turn him into a nice return rather than watching him leave for nothing.

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