Guardians made the correct Steven Kwan trade deadline decision and got burned anyway

When the Guardians are at their best, Steven Kwan is right in the middle of it. Whether it’s him dropping singles into the outfield, slapping balls down the line or making eye-popping plays in the outfield, he’s usually the engine leading Cleveland down the tracks. 

And, for a good portion of the last three months, Kwan’s been stuck in neutral, and the Guardians have sputtered because of it. The Guardians may still be a better team overall for not trading Kwan at this year’s deadline, but his recent struggles have added a new wrinkle to the discussion around whether or not they should have traded him. 

Guardians made the correct Steven Kwan trade deadline decision and got burned anyway

Kwan enters play on Tuesday with a slashline of .271/.329/.380 to go along with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 14 steals and 22 doubles. Fine numbers, sure, but not the kind of production that we’re used to seeing from the two-time All-Star. Kwan currently has an OPS+ of 96, meaning that he’s been 4% worse than league average at the plate. 

Those numbers have taken a serious hit recently, however, as he’s in the midst of one of the worst months of his career. And while that’s not completely to blame for the Guardians bottoming out of the American League postseason picture, it definitely hasn’t helped. 

Kwan’s hit just .204 through 22 games this month, which would be the lowest batting average he’s posted in a month where he’s played in 20+ games.

He’s recorded just three extra base hits (two doubles and a home run) and has walked three times compared to 10 strikeouts. His .487 OPS this month is the third-lowest in baseball among qualified hitters. 

This is starting to become a theme in Kwan’s career, as he’s a career .292 hitter in the first half but a .267 hitter in the second half — albeit in 100 less games. 

Some of those struggles can be chalked up to injury. Last year, Kwan was flirting with a .400 batting average before he hit a wall in the second half in part due to a back injury that he played through before going onto the injured list in September.

This year, he hit .320 through the Guardians’ first 51 games but has only hit .236 in the 71 games he’s played in since — a span that coincides with him leaving a game against the Dodgers with right wrist inflammation. 

Although Kwan’s never going to be known for his ability to hit the ball hard, almost all of his contract numbers are down this year, including barrel rate (2.2%; down from 2.6% last year), hard-hit rate (20.3%; down from 23.7%) and expected batting average (.267; down from .284%). 

Those struggles feel even more magnified thanks to the Guardians' struggles as a whole. José Ramírez and Kyle Manzardo are the only hitters in the Guardians lineup with an OPS+ above 100, and they currently have five everyday players in their lineup with an OPS+ under 80.

And while the Guardians showed earlier this year that they can win with those deficiencies in their lineup, it’s a lot tougher to do it when Kwan isn’t at the top of his game.