Shane Bieber is gone. Steven Kwan is still here. What does it all mean?
The Guardians enter the last 54 games of the season 54-54. Their playoff odds are around 12%, depending on which site you prefer. Many of the typical rumor-trafficking reporters believed they would trade Bieber and Kwan; instead only Bieber, whom the Athletic's Zack Meisel reports was very unlikely to pick up his 2026 team option, was dealt (along with Paul Sewald, who is not significant to the team's chances either way). So, the team enters August with a chance to push for a playoff berth and try to put both a disappointing first half and the Luis Ortiz-Emmanuel Clase betting investigation behind them.