Steven Kwan has been involved in trade rumors since July, when the Cleveland Guardians‘ star left fielder seemed likely to be dealt before the deadline.

He stayed put, and now that the offseason has arrived, Kwan is being speculated as a trade target for other clubs yet again.

Except on Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel seem to have mostly put that possibility to rest.

“Though it looked like Kwan would be moved before the July 31 deadline, he remained in Cleveland, and the belief among other executives is that will remain this winter,” the duo writes. “The Guardians aren’t expected to spend significant money this offseason, and their offense is paltry enough that moving Kwan — when a playoff spot in the AL Central is well within reach — doesn’t make sense.”

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They still list Kwan’s chances of being traded at 25%, so it’s a possibility. It aligns with past trades the Guardians have made as far as timeline, with Kwan under club control for a couple more seasons.

But in the context of this current roster, Cleveland needs Kwan.

“Kwan is an elite defensive left fielder despite just average raw foot speed and is among the best contact hitters in the sport despite bottom-of-the-scale bat speed,” Passan and McDaniel write. “Kwan has a fantastic sense of the strike zone and bat-to-ball ability, and he can make the most of his tools. Even with middling physical tools, he’s a steady 3-to-4 win player because of his incredible feel for the game. He has two years of team control left.”

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Aside from Jose Ramirez, Kwan is the Guardians’ most important hitter. On some level, it becomes tough to justify constantly trading those guys away.

Cleveland was a playoff team in 2025 after a great late-season run. Keeping Kwan around will allow the Guardians to carry that momentum into a new campaign.

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