Steven Kwan reportedly has been looking for a contract extension from the Cleveland Guardians for a while. But with this offseason arguably more uncertain than any in history, it is even more unlikely that the All-Star outfielder will be successful in that attempt.
Kwan may also owe it to himself to go ahead and explore free agency, now that he is just one season from reaching it. The ongoing labor negotiations may change the financial climate of the sport somewhat, but Kwan will still have considerable value as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.
Insider Paul Hoynes revealed why the Guardians may struggle to re-sign Kwan after failing to do so over the past two years.
“Kwan, under the current basic agreement, will be a free agent after 2027. It’s hard to sign a player who has been as consistent as Kwan when he’s this close to free agency,” Hoynes wrote.
A potential extension was still on the table during this past spring training, but as was the case the year before, those talks did not result in an agreement. Despite that, Kwan was more than willing to move from left field, where he won a Gold Glove in each of his first four seasons, to center field in an attempt to help the team add some of its prospects to the mix.
He then got off to a career-worst start at the plate that got him demoted from his usual leadoff spot, and it looked like the Guardians may have been correct not to offer him a lucrative extension. But the 29-year-old was one of the best hitters in the majors after the All-Star break, and he finished the year with a typical slash line of .282/.382/.349.
Kwan is arbitration-eligible and in line for a raise after playing for $7.7 million this season. MLB Trade Rumors projects that he would receive a $11.3 million award for 2027.
That may be more than the Guardians are willing to pay, especially considering they have several promising outfield prospects in their system. Yet, Cleveland may want to make one more run with Kwan after reaching the ALCS in two of the past three seasons.
This all could have been avoided, likely at a lower price, in any of the past two offseasons, but now that it has gone this far, Kwan is likely to let it play out in search of an even bigger payday.
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