Steven Kwan spent much of the first half battling through a stretch that had plenty of noise attached to it. His offense slipped, trade chatter followed, and there was even speculation about an improbable trip to the minor leagues. He lost his leadoff job, and the doubt around him grew loud.
Then he turned it around.
Kwan made the adjustments, started covering the whole strike zone, and began punishing pitches inside while sending balls on the outer edge the other way. The work showed up in the numbers, too: he finished with a 114 wRC+, his best mark since 2024. Even with a 67 wRC+ in the postseason, he still had moments that mattered.
For Cleveland, it was a strong year overall, and Kwan helped drive that run once he found his rhythm again. He worked his way back to the top of the lineup and settled in as a catalyst for an offense that caught fire.
That’s part of why his comments about the Guardians’ future stand out. He praised the wave of young talent around the club and made it clear he likes what he sees, even though he remains a trade candidate.
“We had a lot of different personnel than years before,” Kwan said, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “We had a lot of young guys stepping up into those roles.
It was really fun to be a part of. Winning baseball games can look different at times, and we won them in a lot of different fashions.
I’m excited for the future.”
Kwan is still without an extension, and his contract year arrives in 2027. That leaves Cleveland with a few paths forward: deal him this offseason and get something back, extend him and keep him in the fold longer, or hold onto him for 2027 and risk losing him for nothing afterward.
For now, he remains a key piece for the Guardians, and his outlook matches the way he played late in the year. He sees a club with real upside, and he knows there’s a young core around him that could grow into something bigger. Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, Angel Martinez, Gavin Williams, Parker Messick, Cade Smith, Ralphy Velazquez, and Patrick Bailey are all part of that picture.
Whether Kwan is there for the next step is the question that hangs over everything. Only time will tell.
In Other News...
Why Tanner Bibee Never Entered The ALCS Finally Makes Sense
Tanner Bibee spent the regular season as the Guardians workhorse, opening the year as Clevelands Opening Day starter and leading the club in starts and innings. So when the ALCS arrived and he never got into a game, it stood out immediately, especially with the rotation needing every available arm in October.
Stephen Vogt later made the usage plan clearer: Bibee was being kept in reserve as a long relief option in case a game stretched into extra innings. None of the ALCS contests went past nine, so the move never came into play, even after Bibee had already endured a rough postseason outing. The Guardians still view him as a big part of what comes next, and hell head into the offseason with a chance to reset and rebound next year. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Hedges Just Made Cleveland Fans Worry About His Future
After Clevelands season ended in the American League Championship Series, Austin Hedges wasted little time making his feelings on the future clear. The veteran catcher said he hopes to keep playing for the Guardians, a familiar refrain for a player who has already twice stayed in Cleveland on one-year deals and carved out a place in the clubhouse through some of the franchises most successful recent seasons.
Hedges is headed for free agency again this offseason, which naturally puts his status back in question. For a player who has been part of multiple division titles and postseason runs, the fit has always made sense, but the decision now shifts to whether Cleveland wants to keep that partnership going for another year. [Read more 🡒]
Cade Smith Had A Telling Reaction To That Brutal Game 6 Moment
Cade Smiths season ended with the kind of moment that lingers in a clubhouse for a while, and not just because of the result. After Tampa Bays Junior Caminero homered in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, the Guardians closer had a measured reaction to the celebration, making clear it was not his style while also putting the responsibility where he thought it belonged.
For Cleveland, it was one more jolt in a game that swung away from them and never really came back. The Rays used that homer as part of a momentum shift on their way to a Game 6 win, and with it, the Guardians season was over, leaving Smiths comment as a small but revealing snapshot of how those final minutes felt from the losing side. [Read more 🡒]