MLB Insider Links Guardians' Steven Kwan To Padres

The San Diego Padres are still getting the bad taste out of their mouths from a crushing NLDS loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. 

San Diego had many chances, and a little luck went against them, including Ty France's rail-ball controversy, a rare Mason Miller blown save, and Manny Machado's nearly game-tying home run being robbed by Garrett Mitchell in Game 4. 

Plenty of things went wrong in the NLDS, and luck certainly wasn't on their side, but the Padres need to move on and find a way to add pieces to this roster. 

The good news is that rockstar GM A.J. Preller knows how to do that, and assuming he sticks around, he might have lots to play with, especially with the new owners in town. 

On Friday, MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided mentioned a big bat that the Padres could target this offseason: Cleveland Guardians star outfielder Steven Kwan. 

Could you imagine an outfield in San Diego of Kwan, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr.? 

"But it’s entirely possible that the Guardians will listen on Steven Kwan in the winter with the star outfielder scheduled for free agency after the 2027 season. The Padres have shown past interest in Kwan, and Preller loves star players," Murray wrote. 

Right now, Kwan and the Guardians are preparing for Game 5 of the ALDS. 

Still, Kwan is somebody Preller targeted before, and the left fielder makes snese for San Diego. 

Ramon Laureano suffered a season-ending injury and he is a free agent. The Padres used a combination of guys such as Samad Taylor and Dustin Harris, and while both provided some decent play at times, having one of them as an everyday left fielder won't be enough to make a World Series run. 

Kwan played 151 regular season games, and he hit .282 with 3 home runs and 32 RBI, but he had a 5.3 WAR and is a two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner. 

Kwan is headed for free agency after the 2027 season, so it would be a rental, but it would lock up the left field position. 

The Guardians use Kwan as a leadoff hitter mainly, so the question would come about whether or not Tatis would slide to the No. 2 hole or somewhere else. 

Remember when Craig Stammen tinkered with using Tatis as the cleanup hitter in Spring Training? That would be a bold move, but bringing in a bona fide leadoff man such as Kwan would make it justifiable. 

Kwan had 152 hits in the regular season and he had 85 walks, so having a guy like that in the lineup would be a big boost. 

With Preller, nobody knows what San Diego does, but Kwan is an intriguing option.