"An offseason trade would be selling at a bit of a low point. Kwan had a .700 OPS or worse in each of the final four months. His overall .272/.330/.374 line was league average, but that was carried mostly by a fantastic April. It's primarily a reflection of a drop in his batting average on balls in play. BABIP volatility is to be expected for a player who rarely hits the ball hard but is one of the sport's five best pure contact hitters."
"The Guardians don't have much on the books beyond the well below-market José Ramírez contract. They're not under any financial pressure to move him. Even if other teams value him just as highly as they did over the summer, a trade would remove the only established outfielder from Stephen Vogt's lineup. Rookies Chase DeLauter, Petey Halpin and George Valera and the out-of-options Nolan Jones are currently in line to divide the center and right field playing time."
The Guardians have made minimal offseason moves, re-signing backup catcher Austin Hedges and adding reliever Connor Brogdon, and remain unlikely to pursue major free-agent signings. Cleveland explored offers for Steven Kwan at the deadline but declined unsatisfactory proposals and now lean toward keeping him after an unexpected late-season AL Central title. Kwan produced a .272/.330/.374 line with a significant April boost; later months showed a sub-.700 OPS largely due to lower BABIP. His elite contact skills and strong left-field defense provide a reliable floor, and he projects as roughly three WAR while under team control for two more seasons.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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