The Cleveland Guardians faced considerable speculation about trading All-Star Steven Kwan as the MLB trade deadline approached this year, with many expecting a move before the deadline passed. Interest in Kwan heightened following the Guardians’ trade of Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays, prompting the team to explore trade options for their talented outfielder.
Steven Kwan, along with Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox and Ramón Laureano of the Baltimore Orioles, was among the top outfielders available on the market. However, only Laureano found a new team in a deal with the San Diego Padres, while Kwan remained with Cleveland as the deadline expired.
The Dodgers’ Attempt to Acquire Steven Kwan
At one point, the race for Kwan seemed to be a battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, both National League West rivals. The Dodgers made a strong push late on trade deadline day to secure Kwan’s services, but the asking price set by the Guardians was a significant hurdle.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported the Dodgers’ aggressive efforts, explaining that Cleveland started negotiations with the high-value player Leo De Vries, who had recently been a key figure in a Padres trade, as the baseline for discussions.
On the position player front, the team spent much of Thursday attempting to pry outfielder Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians. The asking price was steep – Leo De Vries, the headliner of the Padres’ package for Miller, was the starting point for the Guardians’ ask for Kwan, according to a league source. The club’s interest in the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan never gained steam in trade talks.
—Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic
Despite the Dodgers’ desire to strengthen their outfield, their interest in Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals did not progress in negotiations, leaving Kwan as their primary target from the available players.
Steven Kwan’s Performance and Defensive Review
Kwan has delivered another strong season for the Guardians, maintaining a batting average of .281 with an on-base percentage of .342 and a slugging percentage of .394. He has recorded 20 doubles, nine home runs, and 39 runs batted in, underscoring his consistent offensive contributions despite slightly reduced power numbers this year.
Known for his exceptional bat-to-ball contact skills, Kwan has struck out only 43 times while drawing 40 walks in 109 games, demonstrating impressive plate discipline. Defensively, he has mostly played left field and leads all outfielders with nine assists. However, Kwan has committed seven errors this season—the highest among outfielders—and experienced declines in other defensive metrics.
Was Adding Kwan a Strategic Move for the Dodgers?
Kwan would have upgraded the Dodgers’ left field position over Michael Conforto, but the steep cost Cleveland demanded was reportedly beyond what the Dodgers were willing to pay. The team’s president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, acknowledged that no trade available at the deadline would fully resolve the Dodgers’ offensive challenges.
Friedman emphasized that regardless of the players targeted, the Dodgers still depend heavily on stars like Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández to perform at their best for the team to improve offensively moving forward.
The inability to secure Kwan highlights the complex balancing act teams face when weighing talent acquisition against the price of prospects and players, particularly during the cutthroat final hours of the trade deadline.