The Cleveland Guardians are struggling to find any sort of offensive momentum.
Though under .500, they’re still in the race for an AL Wild Card, even after losing all but nine games in June.
However, the Guardians don’t have a history of taking big swings at the trade deadline.
If anything, they could use this slump to shed money from their books or move on from one of their stars if the price is right.
That’s why, as crazy as it may seem, not even Steven Kwan might be safe in Cleveland right now.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Guardians could consider trading their star outfielder.
“This shocked me, but multiple teams mentioned Kwan, who has won three consecutive Gold Glove awards and is having another nice season. Kwan is slashing .296/.359/.418 (118 OPS+) with six home runs, 18 doubles and 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Kwan, 27, is under team control through 2027 and is arbitration-eligible going forward. Perhaps the Guardians would consider dealing him for a more impactful power bat,” Bowden wrote.
That would be the least popular move the organization could make, but that hasn’t stopped them in the past.
Kwan is a fan favorite and one of the few consistent sources of offense for Cleveland, but he might also be their most valuable trade asset not named Jose Ramirez.
Most insiders agree that Ramirez and Kwan are the only untouchable players, but perhaps this recent slump might make the team change its stance on the latter.
Others think that Carlos Santana and Emmanuel Clase could also be on their way out.
Should that be the case, the Guardians would be throwing in the towel on the season, even though they can still make a postseason run if they add at the trade deadline instead.
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