The Cleveland Guardians and Steven Kwan might not be seeing eye-to-eye right now. The All-Star outfielder is under club control through the 2027 season, but he wants a contract extension.
With that in mind, multiple teams reached out at this season’s trade deadline to inquire about his availability. Ultimately, the Guardians held on to him.
That might not be the case going forward. Analyst Mike Axisa recently named six potential landing spots for Kwan this offseason.
“The Blue Jays, Dodgers and Padres were in on Kwan heaviest at the deadline. I’m sure they’ll circle back this winter. The Astros, Mets and Royals all make sense too,” Axisa wrote.
Kwan is arguably the Guardians’ second-best player. Trading him might not sit well with fans or fellow All-Star Jose Ramirez, who has already called out the front office for not spending money to bring in reinforcements.
Nevertheless, that’s just the way this organization usually operates, and it’s unlikely to change its ways at this point. There’s still a chance that they can work something out with Kwan, but he’s more likely to get the money he’s seeking somewhere else.
At least, the Guardians can expect to receive a strong return for his services. He’s an elite defender and an above-average hitter, and that combination is hard to find.
As for filling that void, Cleveland has three promising outfield prospects in Chase DeLauter, C.J. Kayfus and George Valera. That said, they will most likely have to make a run at a proven veteran free agent as well.
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