The Cleveland Guardians are in a strange spot.
They are 37-37, playing .500 ball and running a negative run differential.
However, despite the fact that they aren’t currently in possession of a postseason spot, one is within striking distance.
This team, with a healthy Shane Bieber in the second half, a couple of trades, and a few contributions from their prospects and young hitters, could potentially contend.
Those are too many ‘ifs,’ though.
The uncertainty has sparked trade discussion, but going the other way, with the Guardians potentially becoming sellers.
In this particular scenario, the name of Steven Kwan has been floated around, as some fans wonder what he could fetch in a potential deal.
The fact that he hasn’t signed a contract extension fuels speculation: if people don’t feel he will stay for the long term, it would make sense to flip him.
That’s the theory, at least.
In the real world, however, trading Kwan would probably be a mistake, and Bruce Drennan explained why.
“Is he not one of the best leadoff hitters also in the major leagues? The’re hard to come by,” Drennan said.
Steven Kwan is too VALUABLE to trade before the deadline. #GuardsBall
"Is he not one of the best leadoff hitters also in the major leagues?"
Presented by #mentornissan https://t.co/ouNQklEmQD pic.twitter.com/Qk1T5sxHYA
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) June 21, 2025
It was a rhetorical question, but yes, he is absolutely right: Kwan is one of the best leadoff hitters in MLB.
Kwan is, before taking the field on Saturday, slashing a cool .299/.362/.420 with a 124 wRC+.
That OBP is the most important stat for a leadoff hitter, and it’s elite.
The Guardians have a lot of offensive issues, but Kwan is definitely not one of them.
Quite the contrary, in fact: he is an asset that the organization should be building around.
NEXT: Stats Illustrate How Guardians Offense Has Cratered In June
