Jeff Passan's blockbuster Guardians trade would be a complete Cleveland surrender

The Cleveland Guardians are no stranger to making big moves at the trade deadline. Whether it be trading for Andrew Miller in 2016 or dealing Aaron Civale in 2023, this iteration of Cleveland’s front office has shown that it has no problem doing what’s best for the team at the trade deadline. 

But, according to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, there’s a chance the Guardians could make a move at this year’s deadline that would lead to an uprising throughout every part of the Guardians’ fanbase. 

Jeff Passan's blockbuster Guardians trade would be a complete Cleveland surrender

In a new article for ESPN highlighting the move that every contender should make, Passan highlighted the Philadelphia Phillies, who could be in the market for Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase and… outfielder Steven Kwan? 

“As long as the Phillies are aiming high -- and nobody aims high quite like Dave Dombrowski -- perhaps they could take a run at landing both Clase and Steven Kwan from Cleveland. Maybe it would take Andrew Painter. Maybe Aidan Miller. Maybe Justin Crawford. Regardless, the Phillies' window is closing, and getting both club control (Clase is under contract through 2028 and Kwan through 2027) and cost certainty (Clase is due $26 million for the next three years and Kwan less than $20 million for two) would make dealing high-end prospects significantly more palatable,” Passan wrote. 

Well, okay then. 

Clase being mentioned isn’t a huge surprise since he’s been floated as a trade candidate since last winter and is on an affordable contract. 

It’s the trade of Kwan where things get interesting. A two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, Kwan has morphed into one of the best developmental stories in the Guardians’ system and has become a staple at the top of Cleveland’s lineup. 

As Passan mentioned, he’s also under team control through arbitration until 2027. In other words, he’s the kind of piece every team would covet. And while Kwan would likely bring back a king’s ransom in a return, any trade of him would send the wrong message. 

Trading someone like Carlos Santana or Lane Thomas is understandable since they’re on expiring deals. Even trading Clase (who is under control for three years) makes sense considering his value will never be higher. 

But trading Kwan would be in a different category. All of those three players are either declining or at their peak, whereas Kwan is still growing as a player. He’s also one of the key parts of the team’s core, and a player that both hardcore and fairweather fans know.

Your grandma may not have an opinion on the team’s decision to send Tim Herrin to Triple-A, but she’ll probably have an opinion about the team trading Kwan. 

And it’s not like that hypothetical return would do much. Painter, Miller and Crawford are all ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, but they all have warts. 

Crawford has only hit two home runs this year (don’t know if you’ve heard but the Guardians need more power in their outfield), whereas Miller would be a bit redundant in Cleveland’s middle infield heavy farm system. 

Painter has the potential to be a future ace, but he missed the start of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023 and has been laboring in Triple-A. 

The Guardians need to make a move to jumpstart this team. Trading Kwan for three uninspiring prospects isn’t it.