Steven Kwan’s Gold Glove run finally came to a stop on Sunday night, but it took a season of position changes and elite competition to do it.
After winning the American League Gold Glove in left field each year from 2022 through 2025, the Cleveland Guardians outfielder was a finalist in center field for the first time. This time, the award went to Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela.
Kwan spent a large portion of the season in center after Stephen Vogt shifted Cleveland’s outfield alignment and asked him to handle one of the game’s most demanding spots. He still produced strong defensive numbers while adapting, appearing in 98 games in left field and 88 in center. Across those two positions, he finished with 17 defensive runs saved.
Rafaela’s season was hard to top. He posted 21 defensive runs saved and 2.5 defensive wins above replacement, with Texas outfielder Evan Carter also among the three finalists.
Kwan’s streak had already placed him in rare Cleveland company. His four straight Gold Gloves matched Kenny Lofton for the most consecutive wins by a Guardians outfielder.
A fifth would have moved him past Lofton and left Omar Vizquel, with eight, as the only Cleveland player ahead of him. At 29, Kwan still has time to add more hardware later.
Even without Kwan, Cleveland did have one Gold Glove winner. Tanner Bibee took home the AL award at pitcher for the first time in his career, giving the Guardians their first winner at that position since Shane Bieber in 2022.
Kwan’s season also included some big October moments, including a pair of standout plays in Game 5 of the ALCS against Tampa Bay. The award streak is over, but his defensive value clearly isn’t. He handled the move to center without complaint, played it well, and remained a key part of Cleveland’s run to a third straight division title.
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Guardians Get A Big Defensive Honor As Kwans Run Suddenly Stops
Tanner Bibees season had its rough patches, but his work on the mound still earned him a major piece of hardware. The Cleveland right-hander won the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award for best defensive pitcher, the first Gold Glove of his career and the first by a Cleveland pitcher since 2022, a fitting nod to the kind of athleticism and fielding instincts that can get overlooked when the focus is usually on wins and losses.
The bigger surprise around the Guardians came with Steven Kwan, whose run of four straight Gold Gloves came to an end this year. Kwan was again among the finalists, but this time the award went to Ceddanne Rafaela, leaving Cleveland without one of its most familiar defensive honors even as Bibee gave the club another reason to celebrate its glove work. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Alex Cobb Trade Just Took Another Painful Turn
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Furman has since moved on again, with the Giants sending him to Washington as part of their roster cutdown process. The infielder has built a solid minor league resume and now has a chance to fight for a utility job with the Nationals, who are carrying a crowded 40-man roster and will have to sort out where he fits. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Offseason Roster Squeeze Is About To Force Tough Calls
The Guardians have already started trimming and reshaping their 40-man roster, and the next few weeks figure to get even busier. After letting pitcher Shawn Armstrong test free agency and adding prospect Milan Tolentino, Cleveland is sitting with four open spots, a little breathing room that may not last long once the front office begins protecting players from the Rule 5 Draft.
Several prospects are expected to be added, and the club may need to clear additional room through trades or outrights to make it all fit. The real pressure point arrives with the non-tender deadline on November 20, when Cleveland could be forced into some difficult decisions as it tries to balance immediate roster needs with long-term depth. [Read more 🡒]