Take yourself back to last July. The Cleveland Guardians were hovering around .500, the Detroit Tigers looked unstoppable and Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase seemed as good as gone.
But we’re about to enter the middle of January and both of them are still (technically) on Cleveland’s roster.
While the Guardians seemed to seriously entertain offers around Kwan at the trade deadline, the front office elected to hold onto him, which helped give the clubhouse enough juice to go on their magical run to capture the American League Central crown.
Clase being on the roster is a different story, as the Guardians seemed ready to capitalize on his production and team-friendly contract by dealing him away.