Jose Ramirez had the chance a few years ago to be traded away to a franchise that doesn’t trade away all of its star players.Instead, he chose to sign a long-term deal and stay with the Cleveland Guardians. It was noble, but he may be approaching the next departure.
Steven Kwan has been mentioned in trade rumors for a while now. And this week, Bleacher Report has named Kwan the most likely Cleveland player to be traded this winter.
They’ve even outlined a destination: the New York Yankees.
“One winter removed from trading away all of Josh Naylor, Andrés Giménez and Myles Straw in the name of reducing costs, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Guardians part with their final two years of control on this two-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove left fielder,” B/R writes. “In fact, this could be where the aforementioned Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (and more from NYY) lands, as the Yankees could clearly use Kwan.”
Rodriguez-Cruz is a promising right-handed pitching prospect, but he’s no Kwan.
Kwan has consistently been the second-best hitter in Cleveland’s lineup behind Ramirez. He’s also a Gold Glove-caliber defender in left field.
The Guardians always get their steady heartbeat from the calm Kwan at the top of the order.
Trading away Kwan, for anything that isn’t obvious major league talent, would continue to be a slap in the face to a talented MLB roster. Getting rid of guys like Kwan doesn’t help Cleveland get over the hump. It keeps the Guardians where they are.
But at this point, it feels almost inevitable. Sending Kwan to the Yankees would be that much more painful for Cleveland fans, to boot. If it happens, Cleveland better find the best prospect haul it can get.
