Guardians have hope with Steven Kwan extension after Tyler Soderstrom's deal with A's

Normally, Christmas is a day of inaction for the baseball world. In a sport where the season can go 6+ months and the offseason can be a never-ending transaction fest, almost everyone in the sport tends to enjoy a day off during the holidays. 

Emphasis on almost. 

This Christmas, The Athletics made another big move this offseason by signing outfielder Tyler Soderstrom to a seven-year, $86 million extension, marking the biggest pact in franchise history. The move was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. 

It's a move that could have long-term ramifications throughout the American League. 

In the micro, it confirms that The Athletics are going to be more of a factor over the next couple seasons despite the fact they’re going to be playing their home games in a minor league ballpark. 

And in the macro, it’s another outfielder contract extension that the Guardians will be able to bring to the bargaining table during extension talks with Steven Kwan, which should be the front office’s No. 1 priority this offseason. 

Tyler Soderstrom’s extension could help the Guardian sign Steven Kwan long-term

After having middling success in 106 games across the 2023 and ‘24 seasons, Soderstrom broke out in 2025 to the tune of a .276/.346/.474 slashline with 25 home runs and 93 home runs in 158 games. 

The 24-year-old was also Gold Glove finalist in left field in his first season in the outfield (though he didn’t look like one when The Athletics traveled to Cleveland midway through last season). 

But even with that, there’s no denying that Soderstrom’s deal is extremely team-friendly, even if it has escalators that can bump his salary up to $131 million. 

It also serves as the perfect starting point for any potential Kwan extension. Even though Kwan has gone on the record to say that he wants to stay in Cleveland long-term, he seems comfortable navigating through arbitration and eventually betting on himself through free agency. 

But, after Roman Anthony’s mid-season extension made it seem like there was no chance the Guardians would be able to pay a market value contract, Soderstrom’s deal adds a bit more hope. 

The obvious fly in the ointment here is the Guardians’ track record (or lack thereof) when it comes to spending money.

Outside of Jose Ramirez’s incredibly team friendly seven-year, $141 million extension, the largest contract the Guardians have doled out in team history is Edwin Encarnación’s three-year, $60 million free agent contract. 

It’s going to take more than $60 million to sign Kwan to a long-term extension. While he’s coming off a season where he was 4% worse than league average by measure of OPS+, he was still an All-Star for the second time in his career and won his fourth straight Gold Glove in left field. 

It’s tough to quantify how much Kwan means to the Guardians in the lineup and the clubhouse, and he’s also become a fan favorite. The Guardians entertained trade offers for Kwan at the trade deadline and Winter Meetings and elected to hold onto him both times, but the rubber’s going to hit the road at some point. 

In a recent episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast, Paul Hoynes said that he thinks the only thing holding up a potential extension between Kwan and the Guardians is both sides reaching a midpoint where everyone’s satisfied. 

Soderstrom’s new deal could provide them the framework to make that happen.