The Cleveland Guardians made a surprising move earlier this offseason when they scrapped Jose Ramirez’s current contract and gave him another seven-year, $175 million extension to potentially lock him in Cleveland for the rest of his career. The fans can rest easy now knowing that their star isn’t going anywhere, but it makes you wonder when the front office will take care of the team’s other biggest offensive star.
Steven Kwan’s name has been floated in trade rumors quite a bit over the last year, but he remains as the left fielder heading into 2026 where he will once again assume his role atop the batting order and aim to win a fifth consecutive Gold Glove. Since he hasn’t gotten traded, it’s fair to wonder if the team is instead pondering an extension for him, and Kwan recently spoke publicly about that topic.
Mason Horodyski of WEWS recently spoke with Kwan during Spring Training, and the topic of a potential contract extension came up. Kwan didn’t deny the notion that talks have taken place, but he somewhat brushed it off and acted as if nothing is imminent.
“I think they (conversations) start getting more realistic near the end of Spring Training. I haven’t heard anything and it’s not my job to get digging or get hopeful or anything. We’ll see what happens later in camp,” Kwan said.
"I think [conversations] start getting more realistic near the end of spring training… we'll see what happens later in camp. But as of now, I'm excited for his game tomorrow."#Guardians Steven Kwan on if he's had any talks regarding contract extentions #GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/f8GkUez8xz
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) February 20, 2026
Kwan is the one constant in this outfield, as the other two spots alongside him are completely up in the air and wide open for a young up-and-comer to seize their moment. Chase DeLauter and George Valera are the most likely candidates to start alongside Kwan when the regular season begins, but they have 41 combined regular-season at-bats under their belt.
All this uncertainty should push the front office to put more urgency on extending Kwan. Manager Stephen Vogt has an idea of how this outfield is going to look, and Kwan is even going to see reps in center field, so nothing is set in stone yet.
It’s still early in Spring Training, but it would be a great signal to the fans that this team is serious about winning if Kwan got paid. He doesn’t need another year of trade rumors, and this team isn’t in a position to move on from him at all.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Reveals Plans For Outfield In Spring Training
