Steven Kwan’s future in Cleveland is suddenly becoming one of the offseason’s more intriguing questions, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s still wearing a Guardians uniform every day, but with free agency only a year away and no extension talks apparently getting close, the possibility of a trade is starting to feel a lot more real.
Mark Feinsand recently pointed to Kwan as a possible name to watch when the market opens up.
“The two-time All-Star has been dangled as a trade candidate in the past, and with only one year remaining until free agency and no extension seemingly in sight, Cleveland could look to move Kwan to bring back younger, more controllable talent. Kwan’s counting stats are down this season (two home runs, 27 RBIs, 72 runs scored in 136 games), but his .371 on-base percentage and 4.4 bWAR are his highest since his 2022 rookie season,” Feinsand wrote.
On the surface, the numbers don’t jump off the page the way they have in past seasons. The average is down, the RBI total is lighter, and the power has been modest.
But that’s not the whole story. Kwan is still getting on base at a .371 clip, his best mark since 2022, and his 4.4 bWAR is right back near the level he posted as a rookie.
The plate discipline remains elite, too. Kwan is still one of the best hitters in baseball when it comes to avoiding strikeouts and drawing walks, and that’s a huge part of why he’s stayed so valuable even without big home run totals.
And then there’s the glove. Kwan’s defense is still a major part of his value, with his outs saved above average ranking near the top of the league. That’s helped fuel a resume that already includes four Gold Glove awards.
Put it all together and you get a player who doesn’t fit the usual “move him now” profile, even with free agency looming. Cleveland could certainly decide the safest path is to cash in before he reaches the open market, but Kwan’s mix of on-base skills, contact ability and outfield range makes him a tough piece to part with.
For now, though, he’s still focused on helping the Guardians in the season’s final stretch. The real decision waits for the offseason, but with Kwan already popping up in national trade chatter in early September, this is a storyline that isn’t going away anytime soon.
In Other News...
Guardians Farm System Has A New Long Term Prospect Question
The Guardians kept most of their premium young talent out of the trade market at the deadline, dealing only one top-30 prospect in Jacob Cozart and leaving the rest of the system largely intact. For now, the headliners remain Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez and Braylon Doughty, a group that should be pushing toward Cleveland soon enough to keep the organizations long-term pipeline in view.
What makes the farm more interesting from here is the next wave, and Juneiker Caceres is the name drawing the most outside attention. The Venezuelan prospect has been moving quickly through High-A and Single-A while showing the kind of natural ability that has evaluators projecting him as the systems best prospect by 2028, which gives the Guardians another potential cornerstone to track even as the current class inches closer to the majors. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Reliever Hits Another Brutal Setback In Lost Development Run
Andrew Walters latest setback puts another hard stop on what had already become a stop-and-start development path for the Guardians right-hander. After missing significant time since June 2025 because of injuries, including lat muscle surgery, Walters now has gone through right UCL repair surgery with an internal brace, a procedure that typically comes with a 10-12 month recovery window.
For Cleveland, the bigger concern is not just the lost season, but the lost runway. Walters had already been fighting to get back on track before the most recent injury in 2026, and even with a normal rehab timeline, a return to MLB action now appears unlikely until 2028. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Add Another Cleveland Star At The Perfect Time
Cleveland keeps finding ways to pull familiar names closer to the franchise, and Denzel Ward is the latest. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback and Ohio native has joined the Guardians as a minority investor, adding another hometown star to an ownership group led by Paul Dolan and David Blitzer.
Ward now joins future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce in the mix, giving the club another high-profile link to Northeast Ohio sports beyond the field. He called the opportunity a chance to contribute to the community, a fitting note for a player whose connection to Cleveland has always run deeper than football. [Read more 🡒]