🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
The Cleveland Guardians are one of the more intriguing teams to follow at the MLB trade deadline. While it seemed like they wouldn’t cut ties with any controllable players at the deadline, their season was flipped on its head following Emmanuel Clase’s suspension as the league investigates him for potential gambling on baseball.
Clase’s suspension has seemingly turned the Guardians into aggressive sellers, and there’s a chance they move their valuable pieces now.
MLB’s Mark Feinsand recently reported the Guardians were “trying to move” Steven Kwan ahead of the trade deadline following Clase’s suspension.
Ed Zurga/Getty Images
“The Guardians are ‘trying to move’ both Steven Kwan and Shane Bieber, per source. Bieber made his fourth rehab start on Tuesday, striking out seven with no walks in four innings,” Feinsand wrote in a post to Twitter/X on Wednesday. “He’s returning from April 2024 Tommy John surgery and has a $16M player option ($4M buyout) for 2026.”
Trading the star outfielder makes sense now. If Clase is going to be on the shelf while this investigation goes on, the Guardians turn into a selling team. Cleveland could look to use this suspension as an excuse to hit the reset button in an attempt to rebuild the team around a younger core.
Kwan is a very valuable asset on the trade market. Teams like the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies all make sense as potential fits.
The asking price will likely be high, but there are desperate teams around the league who will likely cut ties with solid prospects to land Kwan. There should be a lot of rumors surrounding his name ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
More MLB: Guardians Make Shane Bieber Trade Decision After Emmanuel Clase Suspension