Timeline just changed for Guardians potential Steven Kwan trade thanks to head-scratching GM Meetings rumor

One of the top stories of this year’s MLB offseason is what the Guardians are going to do with Steven Kwan. While we’re less than a month away from the start of the impending lockout that could shut down the baseball world for multiple months, we’re approaching the start of the silly season with the beginning of this year’s General Managers meeting. 

Normally the GM meetings serve as the beginning of trade talks that don’t get finalized until the Winter Meetings a month later, But, with those meetings on the chopping block, this year’s GM meetings could have a lot more movement than years prior. 

And one of the top names who could be moved is Kwan, who is about to enter his final year of team control, and is projected to make more than $11 million in arbitration. Normally that kind of contract situation would be catnip for other clubs, but that could be different this year due to teams not wanting to part with young talent right before the fabric of the sport is upended. 

But what if there was a chance the Guardians could trade Kwan for a different kind of package? On Sunday, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that impending free agents (like Kwan) could be moved for other impending free agents as a way to “balance the risk” of trading for a player on an expiring contract ahead of an uncertain season. 

While Morosi’s reporting opens an interesting door for a potential Kwan deal, it’s hard to believe the Guardians would go for that since their usual M.O. in trades like this is to deal impending free agents for young players. 

It’s hard to believe the Guardians would trade Steven Kwan for an established MLB player 

The one wrinkle that could push the Guardians toward a trade of Kwan for MLB talent is the sheer number of high-quality starters who are also impending free agents. That list starts with Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young winner who is coming off another strong season where he led MLB with 214 innings while also tossing a no-hitter. It took him a second to shake off the rust from his 2024 Tommy John surgery, he’s back to being a frontline starter. 

He also seems open to team tinkering since he finished the year pitching out of the bullpen on his normal bullpen days and racked up three saves in the process. The Guardians did the same thing in the postseason with Gavin Williams, so an Alcantara trade could be a match made in heaven. 

The other impending free agent who makes a bit of sense would be Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, who has a 3.60 ERA in 1,020 lifetime innings. Gilbert may have had some struggles in 2026 (3.73 ERA), but he finished the year with 186 innings after missing some time with injury in 2025. 

Although both Gilbert and Alcantara would be solid fits in Cleveland’s rotation, they’re both going to make more than Kwan in 2027. Alcantara carries a $27 million price tag for 2027, while Gilbert should make around $15 million in arbitration. 

Kwan’s name is going to be floated in plenty of trade rumors over the next couple of months, but it’s hard to imagine any hypothetical trade between him, Gilbert and Alcantara actually becoming reality.

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