Steven Kwan goes to have his identify floating by way of commerce rumors as quickly because the Cleveland Guardians‘ season ends, and till he’s both moved, indicators an extension, or the following season begins with him nonetheless on the roster.
Actually, Kwan has been within the rumors because the center of the 2025 season. The Guardians hardly ever maintain gamers past their first six years of membership management, and with that in thoughts, they typically then commerce them away to make sure they get some worth moderately than shedding them in free company for nothing.
Some rumors are extra palatable for Cleveland supporters than others, although.
As a result of the newest commerce thought involving Kwan would ship him to the Chicago Cubs — the group that broke Cleveland’s hearts within the 2016 World Sequence.
Steven Kwan to Cubs?
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller included the Guardians buying and selling Kwan to the Cubs as a part of his new article on Monday analyzing “reasonable” trades for the offseason.
He places collectively the entire package deal, one that might have the Guardians sending Kwan to the Cubs for 2 prospects.
The 2 gamers Cleveland would get in return on this proposal are right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins and utility man James Triantos. Each are former second-round picks who’ve but to debut within the main leagues.
“On the prospects entrance, Jaxon Wiggins entered 2026 as a prime 100 prospect on Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB, however he was a large number at Triple-A Iowa, strolling practically 20 % of batters confronted,” Miller writes. “Perhaps Cleveland can repair his command, although, whereas James Triantos has .300 batting common, 30 stolen bases potential to exchange Kwan.”
So far as participant sorts, these guys each match the Cleveland mould. The Guardians like to make pitchers higher, they usually actually would take pleasure in a speedy contact man like Triantos.
Dealing away Kwan would nonetheless be a troublesome capsule to swallow for the Cleveland fanbase regardless.
Why Guardians Would Commerce Steven Kwan
All of it comes all the way down to cash in Cleveland.
When gamers get close to the top of their contracts, the selection is both to increase them for extra cash, or ship them away for future worth.
Except for Jose Ramirez, the Guardians typically select the latter method.
“At any fee, two winters in the past, they traded away the ultimate 5 seasons of their seven-year contract with Andrés Giménez, and subsequently shipped Josh Naylor to Arizona, moderately than paying what ended up being a $10.9M wage in his last yr of arbitration eligibility,” Miller writes. “Regardless of their penny-pinching methods, they only maintain making the postseason, profitable the AL Central for the seventh time in 11 years. So, if they’ll flip one yr of Kwan right into a pair of former second-round picks, historical past suggests they in all probability will.”
Kwan is coming into the ultimate yr of his contract. He’s arbitration-eligible for the ultimate time and can in all probability receives a commission $10-11 million for 2027.
Whether or not it’s the Guardians paying him that or a distinct group is what this offseason will decide.
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