The trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and there has been no shortage of rumors surrounding baseball. For the Cleveland Guardians, the main rumors seemingly surround All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and Gold Glove outfielder Steven Kwan.
While trading Kwan or Clase could boost the future in Cleveland, it would be a tough pill to swallow. Clase’s future is seemingly up in the air still, but ESPN’s Buster Olney recently suggested the Guardians wouldn’t look to trade Kwan this season, noting the idea as “unlikely.”
“The player asked about the most on the Guardians’ roster is Steven Kwan, but given that he’s 2 1/2 years away from free agency, it’s unlikely he’ll be traded, according to sources,” Olney wrote in a post to Twitter/X on Tuesday. “His slash line this year: .288/.352/.398, with 11 stolen bases.”
Trading Kwan never seemed to make sense for Cleveland. This team went deep into the postseason last year and lost to the eventual American League pennant-winning New York Yankees. It’s not like the Guardians need to blow their roster up.
If Kwan was on an expiring contract, this idea would make sense, but he’s not. There are still two additional years of arbitration left on his deal for the Guardians to take advantage of.
Kwan is a building block in Cleveland. The team is talented. It’s more likely Cleveland will give him a contract extension in the offseason rather than trade him right now.
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