The most painful trade the Guardians could make at the Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings are arguably the most exciting time on the baseball calendar since trades come in abundance and free agents sign en masse. 

But there’s a chance that excitement could turn into heartbreak this season. At face value, it would make sense if the Guardians used the Winter Meetings as a springboard to improve their lineup, there’s just as good a chance that it serves as the staging ground for a Steven Kwan trade. 

We're going to hear plenty of trade buzz around Steven Kwan and the Guardians at the Winter Meetings

Kwan’s been a mainstay in trade rumors since his name was first floated six months ago, and that buzz isn’t going to go away any time soon. 

In fact, on Friday The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote a story about all the moves that he wants to see happen at the Winter Meetings, where he had the Guardians trading Kwan to the Dodgers for outfielder Josue De Paula. 

“The Dodgers will love the Gold Glove-winning Kwan, who at the plate also provides them more traffic for the dangerous middle of their lineup, while the Guardians win the deal in the long run by gaining a potential middle-of-the-order star in De Paula,” Bowden wrote. 

While Bowden may be right that a trade for De Paula (the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect) may help the Guardians in the long-run, trading Kwan away would be a huge blow for the roster and the fanbase. 

While the Guardians listened to offers on Kwan at the trade deadline, they elected to hold onto him since no team was willing to meet their return demand that started with at least one premium prospect. De Paula would meet that framework (if he’s available in trade talks). 

Kwan has served as the catalyst at the top of the Guardians’ lineup from the moment he debuted in 2022, and has morphed into a two-time All-Star who is one of the best defenders in all of baseball.

It would also be another stark reminder of how much of a business baseball can be, especially when it comes to how the Guardians operate. 

If the Guardians do trade Kwan, he’ll follow in the footsteps of players like Francisco Lindor, Shane Bieber and Josh Naylor who were traded instead of being offered a contract extension commensurate with their value.

As Naylor said in August: “I knew I was going to get traded eventually. A lot of us over there know we are (going to be traded).” 

Kwan has gone on the record about how he wants to stay in Cleveland, but he also doesn’t seem to be willing to waiver from what he feels like he’s worth. 

Kwan is a valuable player who has helped set the tone for the Guardians on the field and in the clubhouse. But it looks like there’s a chance that his time with the team could come to an end next week.