Jeff Passan's latest Steven Kwan assessment could be concerning for Guardians trade

On Tuesday, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan put out a new manifesto outlining what he’s hearing ahead of a busy MLB offseason. 

And while there were plenty of interesting tidbits laid throughout the piece (the Pirates were willing to break the bank for old friend Josh Naylor), the Guardians aren’t mentioned until the end. 

But that lack of presence earlier in the article doesn’t take away from the impact of the Guardians nugget, which was based around Steven Kwan.

There, Passan wrote:

"Steven Kwan, LF, Cleveland: Another Class of 2027-28 free agent whose value is in limbo. Still, multiple GMs believe he moves."

Even though Kwan was included in multiple trade rumors in the offseason, he didn’t end up being traded due to reasons both in and out of Cleveland’s control. 

But Passan’s rumor tidbit adds even more fuel to the trade rumors around Kwan which have lurked in the background of every insider’s notebook dump so far this offseason while also providing some insight into how the future of the sport could lead to him staying in Cleveland.

It looks like the trade rumors around Steven Kwan aren’t going away any time soon

As mentioned above, Kwan had plenty of suitors at last year’s trade deadline but he ended up staying in Cleveland, due in large part to the Guardians holding firm on their asking price that started with one premium prospect. 

But there’s more of a deal that a move could happen in the offseason because there’s no hard and fast deadline like there is during the season. 

There’s also a chance that some of the other moves made across MLB could lead to Kwan being moved.

Kyle Tucker stands out as the top corner outfielder available through free agency, but is expected to get a 10-year contract that could be between $300 and $400 million, according to Passan. 

But one team that won’t be in on Tucker (at least according to Passan) is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are more interested in a high-dollar, shorter-term deal to try to fix their outfield problems.

Another way for them to solve that problem would be by acquiring Kwan, who was on their radar during the summer. 

There are some other solid outfield options available in free agency (Harrison Bader, Rob Refsnyder and Cedric Mullins) and the trade market (Jarren Duran, Jo Adell, Taylor Ward), and Kwan is a top option for a desperate team that misses out on one of those options. 

The industry-wide concern about next offseason’s expiring CBA could also impact Kwan’s trade market, as Passan mentioned. 

There’s a legitimate concern that some (or all) of the 2027 season could be lost, which could lead to some teams not wanting to ink players to a contract that could expire after the ‘27 season since players would eventually recoup the service time they lost. 

Kwan is due to hit free agency after that season (so long as he doesn’t sign an extension before that), which could lead to the market cooling on him as the 2026 season goes on. 

Still, Passan including Kwan in his new story is even more confirmation that we’re going to hear Kwan’s name in trade rumors throughout the entire offseason.