Steven Kwan’s name has already popped up in trade rumors this offseason. It’s easy to see why, considering he only has two years. 

A few days ago, I broke down why the Guardians could be incentivized to trade Kwan this winter. Let’s look at the other end of that conversation.

Guardians Still Need More Offense

Even with Kwan leading off for the Guardians, the team is still in desperate need of more offense.

Cleveland’s team OPS was still .699, and that was with Kwan in the lineup for 156 of its games. Trading Kwan didn’t have his best season, but was still an impactful player. Trading the two-time All-Star and not supplementing his impact would be a step back for a team that should be looking to take steps forward. 

If the Guardians trade Kwan for a player who they think could have a better wRC+ than him in 2026, then they shouldn’t hesitate to make the move, but the reality of that is incredibly slim. 

Steven Kwan’s Questionable Current Trade Value

Perhaps the Guardians have already made up their mind that they’re not going to sign Kwan to a contract extension and have no interest in bringing him back as a free agent. Even in that scenario, waiting to trade the All-Star during the season makes more sense.

Kwan had a rough second half of the 2025 season, registering a slash line of .268/.342/.377. Not bad at all, but certainly not what we’ve grown and accustomed to from the elite hitter. That continues a trend for the four-year player, who also struggled after the All-Star Break in 2024, too.

Teams might hold that against Kwan and the Guardians in trade negotiations. So, the best approach for Cleveland’s front office to take is to let Kwan start the season with the team, let him rebuild some of his value, and revisit trade talks ahead of the 2026 deadline. 

The Guardians can still make the argument to a team that they’ll be getting Kwan for two playoff runs.  

Kwan Is Still An Extension Candidate

There will be plenty of discourse about whether the Guardians will trade Kwan this winter, but the reality is he still has two more seasons of team control left; his free agent status isn’t imminent. 

All of that, on top of Kwan being a homegrown player, drafted by Cleveland in 2019,  makes him a perfect extension candidate for the Guardians.

Will an extension come cheaply? Probably not; MLB Trade Rumors predicts Kwan to earn $9.5 million in arbitration this offseason.

However, four years into his career, Kwan has proved he deserves a nice payday, and Cleveland should be willing to give it to him. 

The Guardians know firsthand the type of impact Kwan has as their leadoff hitter and how he can alter games with his defense in the outfield. 

For as many calls the Guardians take on Kwan, they should have just as many conversations with Kwan and his camp about staying in Cleveland for years to come.