The Cleveland Guardians are trying to upgrade a roster that went to the American League Championship Series. It’s not an easy task, but there are several avenues to do it.
To do so, however, they might have to make a few surprising decisions, some of which go against their nature. Here are two of them:
Keeping Steven Kwan
The entire baseball universe is expecting the Guardians to trade Steven Kwan. That has been the case for years: every season, rumors about a deal involving the leadoff hitter appear, and sometimes, they refuse to go away.
What if the Guardians decide to keep him for the 2027 campaign and go against every instinct about how they operate the roster? When a player reaches Kwan’s current situation, entering his final arbitration season, Cleveland always, or usually, flips him to another squad to avoid losing him for nothing.
It’s clear, however, that they haven’t found a trade offer of their liking through the years, and they are unlikely to be presented with one they can’t refuse now that he will be a free agent in a year. While it might not be the most likely scenario, there’s definitely a universe in which the Guardians keep him for one last run at the World Series with their current foundation.
Kwan, after all, is a perfectly fine leadoff man coming off of a .382 OBP and a 114 wRC+ last season, with solid defensive play in left and center field. He is a borderline star and can help manager Stephen Vogt win games every day.
Non-Tendering Jo Adell
There have been rumors about the possibility of Cleveland non-tendering Adell, so it wouldn’t exactly come out of nowhere. It would be surprising, though, because they invested prospect capital to bring him in, and because he did exactly what he was acquired for: hit lefties and supply some power to the lineup.
The Guardians had been looking for a player with his traits and profile for years. No, Adell definitely wasn’t perfect, but he gave the Guardians seven home runs, 32 RBI, and a 107 wRC+ in 48 games.
He then had a couple of clutch extra-base hits in the postseason, even though he put up a mediocre 69 wRC+ there.
Let’s not forget that Adell, in 2025 with the Los Angeles Angels, hit 37 homers and drove in 98 runs. He can impact games with his prodigious raw power, even if it doesn’t always translate to game power.
Yes, not tendering him a contract would save almost $10 million. However, what’s the point of competing if you’ll get rid of the pieces that help you?
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