Looking For A Match In A Steven Kwan Trade

“As we sit here today, we’re expecting Steven Kwan to be a big part of a contending team next year,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters during the team’s season wrap-up press conference after the ALCS. This was something less than a confirmation that Kwan will be back with the Guards in 2027, and it could indeed be that Kwan’s “contending team” plays somewhere other than Cleveland.

The Guardians have made a habit of winning without much offense in recent years, and the club’s collective 97 wRC+ (ranking 22nd in baseball) in 2026 was no exception. Trading one of their most dependable hitters therefore doesn’t make too much sense on paper for the…