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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Manager Craig Counsell #11 of the Chicago Cubs looks on before game one of the National League Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Trade rumors are swirling around the Cubs<\/a> this offseason.<\/p>\n Tarik Skubal<\/a> remains the ultimate prize, but the Cubs could also make a move to help out their lineup.<\/p>\n In a trade market lacking impact bats, one player on the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> makes the most sense for the Cubs.<\/p>\n Steven Kwan Stats and Contract<\/p>\n \n In a league filled with power threats, Steven Kwan has been an outlier.<\/p>\n Over five seasons with the Guardians, Kwan is batting .282 with a .357 on-base percentage. He\u2019s recorded 39 home runs and 238 RBIs during that time as well.<\/p>\n Kwan is a proven playoff performer, batting .295 during 31 career postseason games with the Guardians. The 28-year-old has helped lead Cleveland to the ALCS two times over the past three seasons.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that Cleveland wields one of baseball\u2019s smallest budgets. As a result, this Guardians front office is often forced to trade some of its best players.<\/p>\n Kwan is set to become a free agent following the 2027 season. Given his age and past production, he should command a hefty contract on the open market. As a result, the Guardians will likely consider trading the outfielder this winter.<\/p>\n Should the Cubs Trade for Kwan?<\/p>\n MLB Trade Rumor\u2019s Mark Polishuk<\/a> has listed the Cubs as one of several potential trade partners for Steven Kwan:<\/p>\n \u201cPete Crow-Armstrong<\/a> has center field locked up in Wrigleyville, but the left field spot is wide open since Ian Happ is a free agent.\u00a0 With Seiya Suzuki also hitting the open market, Chicago is expected to use Matt Shaw for one corner outfield vacancy, but if both Happ and Suzuki leave, bringing a veteran like Kwan on board is a logical move\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n On paper, this is a logical fit. Chicago\u2019s offense, while dangerous, was kept in check during the playoffs. Getting an elite contact hitter at the top of this lineup could change that.<\/p>\n In addition, Kwan fits the profile of a Cubs position player. This was one of baseball\u2019s premier defensive units last season. Adding a Gold Glove winner only makes this Cubs outfield stronger going forward.<\/p>\n As Polishuk mentioned, both Happ and Suzuki could leave the Cubs this offseason. That leaves a massive hole in the outfield for Chicago next season.<\/p>\n If the Cubs are trying to make a World Series push in 2027, Kwan could make all the difference.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tBryan Armetta<\/a> Bryan Armetta is an experienced sports reporter covering baseball and college basketball for Heavy Sports. He has written for Heavy since 2026, and has worked in sports media for over eight years. That includes working as a writer and editor at DraftKings Network since 2024. Bryan currently lives in New York City. More about Bryan Armetta<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Manager Craig Counsell #11 of the Chicago Cubs looks on before…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849079,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[5,138,24,4245,161,4],"class_list":["post-849078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-cubs","tag-baseball","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicagocubs","tag-cubs","tag-mlb"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/117584312842183675","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/american-league-championship-series-tampa-bay-rays-v-cleveland-guardians-game-15.jpg\")
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO \u2013 OCTOBER 17: Steven Kwan<\/a> #38 of the Cleveland Guardians scores a run during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> in game four of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n