The Phillies’ outfield problems are staring them right in the face, and Steven Kwan keeps coming up as the kind of fix that could actually move the needle.
Philadelphia has been stuck in the same basic group for five straight seasons, and the payoff has gotten worse, not better. Last year, the offense went quiet, and that lack of punch was the club’s biggest issue. The front office needs more length in the lineup, and left field looks like an obvious place to start.
Brandon Marsh got most of the work there, and his season came in two completely different acts. He earned an All-Star nod on the strength of a .829 OPS, then cratered after the break with a .502 OPS. He’s still a fan favorite - shaggy hair, scraggly beard and all - but the inconsistency proved costly when the games mattered most.
Kwan brings a very different profile. He’s a contact machine and a strong defender in left, the kind of player who changes the tone of an outfield.
He also sits in the same contract window as Marsh, since both are set to reach free agency after the 2027 season. Cleveland could be tempted to move him now rather than carry his projected $11.3 million salary next season and wait for the next payday.
A straight Marsh-for-Kwan swap makes some sense on paper, but the Guardians would want more than a one-for-one exchange with the same control attached. That’s where the Phillies would have to get creative.
Orion Kerkering could be part of the answer. The 25-year-old has the kind of stuff that plays late in games, with a high-90s fastball and wipeout slider, but his stock has taken a hit since his season-ending gaffe back in 2025.
Even so, he still has value. In his first two full major league seasons, he put up ERAs of 2.29 and 3.30, and he comes with three more years of team control.
For Cleveland, that sort of bounce-back arm could fit neatly into a bullpen development pipeline that has a strong track record. The Guardians have a habit of getting more out of relievers than most clubs, and Kerkering would be walking into a lower-pressure setting.
The other piece that could get their attention is Tyler Spangler. The Phillies’ most recent first-round pick was taken 36th overall and fits the mold of the kind of high-upside prospect Cleveland needs to target.
He’s a big-bodied shortstop who could develop into a Corey Seager type if everything breaks right. Spangler turned 19 on October 1st and has only nine Low-A games on his resume, with his development delayed after he missed his entire high school senior season because of a back injury.
That kind of ceiling matters for a club with a low payroll, and Spangler could eventually become the successor to José Ramírez as the face of the Guardians. He also doesn’t have a clear path in Philadelphia, where Aidan Miller and Bryan Rincon crowd the infield picture.
The catch is simple: Kwan is a one-year rental, and it would be a steep ask for the Phillies to part with their newest first-round pick plus two major league pieces with real upside. To even things out, Cleveland would likely need to send help back.
Tim Herrin fits that part of the deal. The left-hander has spent the last four seasons with the Guardians and owns a 3.41 ERA over 219 appearances.
He’s been uneven from year to year, but 2026 was a good season for him, with 54 strikeouts and a 3.02 ERA across 56.2 innings. He’s projected to make $1.3 million this winter in his first arbitration year and remains under team control for three more seasons.
That matters for Philadelphia, which badly needs more left-handed relief. Tim Mayza was the best option in that role this past season, and the Phillies already brought him back on a cheap one-year deal. José Alvarado is now a free agent, and Tanner Banks was hit hard in 32 outings.
In the end, this kind of deal would hit two weak spots at once. Kwan would give the Phillies elite contact skills and better defense in a shaky outfield, while Herrin would add a useful left arm to a bullpen short on them. It would cost real talent to get there, but Philadelphia is running out of time to make this core pay off.
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For the Phillies, that combination can look a lot like the kind of low-cost bet worth making when the outfield needs another layer of depth. Ward has already shown he can be more than a flier when things are right, but his recent downturn with the Mariners leaves him in reclamation territory, and Philadelphia may be one of the teams willing to see whether the bargain is still there. [Read more 🡒]