Blue Jays Linked To Cleveland Guardians Star In Offseason Trade

With the World Series getting underway, the offseason is clearly in sight, and teams around baseball will be rushing to get some things done before the game is shut down on December 1st due to the impasse between players and owners over a new CBA.

With that, free agency and trades will be taking center stage by the beginning of November. 

For the Toronto Blue Jays, they'll need to address the outfield. They made one massive step in establishing Brett Bateman as a legitimate piece of the future after his shocking run (.329 avg., .402 OBP) after being acquired at the trade deadline. 

But George Springer's contract is up, and the 37-year-old is hitting the open market. Anthony Santander cannot be counted on at all after missing the last 250+ games (a year and two-thirds) due to injuries. 

Blue Jays projected to target star outfielder this offseason

One player they had been tied to in trade rumors going back to last season is Cleveland Guardians sparkplug and primarily left fielder Steven Kwan. Sure, Bateman has proven to be a Kwan facsimile, but having two high-contact, high on-base, elite defensive outfielders is better than one.  

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report has projected Kwan as the Blue Jays' most likely trade candidate this offseason. 

Fourteen players made at least one appearance in left field for the Blue Jays in 2026, and they're probably going to decline their club option on the player who led the bunch with 74 appearances (Myles Straw). In theory, Anthony Santander could factor into the OF/DH mix in 2027, but Toronto almost has to view him as a fully sunk cost at this point. 

Kwan has one more year of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency in 2028. And his 2027 salary is projected to come in at around $11.3 million. As Miller notes, "The Guardians love to trade away players once they start getting expensive."

The Blue Jays should be willing to take him off their hands. Cost is generally no object for Toronto, who came in with the 5th-highest payroll in baseball in 2026. Of course, the new collective bargaining agreement, with a potential salary cap, could have something to say about that.