Guardians will regret not trading Gold Glove OF if he doesn't break out ASAP

Guardians will regret not trading Gold Glove OF if he doesn't break out ASAP originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cleveland Guardians decided not to sell off a ton of their assets at last year's trade deadline, and while they wound up in the postseason, they were eliminated in the first series against the Detroit Tigers.

This season, instead of selling or flirting with a sell-off at the deadline, the Guardians might be buyers. They're 24-21 on the season, and atop the AL Central.

If they do buy, they might have to look for an outfield upgrade, as Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report called out Steven Kwan, their four-time Gold Glove outfielder, as someone who needs to break out ASAP.

"But whether it's just a slow start or maybe a byproduct of bouncing back and forth between center and left this year after being pretty much cemented in left field prior to 2026, Kwan hasn't been anything close to the same reliable weapon on offense, flirting with the Mendoza Line while slugging 125 points below his career norm," Miller writes.

If Kwan's struggles were to continue this season, and if he can't break out of this early-season funk, then the Guardians might come to regret not trading him at the 2025 MLB trade deadline.

Guardians might come to regret not trading Steven Kwan

At the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Guardians received significant interest from MLB clubs in Kwan. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres were a few clubs that had ties to Kwan.

Had the Guardians accepted a trade offer for Kwan, they would've lost a fan-favorite player. But, in retrospect, that might've been the right move.

This season, Kwan has posted -0.2 bWAR with a .206 batting average and a .576 OPS. He posted a .705 OPS last season and wasn't above league-average with his 98 OPS+.

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This year, his 66 OPS+ is a very poor mark. He's almost guaranteed to miss an All-Star bid this season unless he can break out in a major way.

If the Guardians had actually traded Kwan last year at the deadline, they could've avoided this poor start to the season, and might've been able to land a great return as well.

But now, not only are the Guardians dealing with Kwan's struggles, but they aren't likely to receive any offers for Kwan that are remotely close to what they could've got last year.

So, if Kwan can't break out of this early-season funk soon, the Guardians' regret over not trading Kwan last year will only continue to grow.

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