Our final subscriber mailbag before the trade deadline gets into the Guardians trading Steven Kwan and Shane Bieber, what’s next for the Yankees, Giants, and Cubs, Dave Dombrowski’s approach toward trading top Phillies prospects, and positives for the Braves.
John asks:
Where does Cleveland go from here? Kwan isn’t signing long term. Clase may be lost. Will Santana be dfa for Kayfus?
Robb asks:
Would the Guardians be more receptive to dealing Steven Kwan if the Dodgers take Shane Bieber off their hands? Even so, I doubt anything less than Dalton Rushing would interest the Guardians as a starting point.
In a recent report, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said Kwan is drawing a ton of interest, and Emmanuel Clase‘s non-disciplinary leave might increase the chances of a trade.
Kwan, 28 in September, is earning $4.175MM this year and is under team control through 2027. Though he’s not a flashy player, Kwan has been worth about 4 WAR per 650 plate appearances in his career and this season is no different.
Trading Kwan would be risky for the Guardians, as the franchise has failed to find or produce an outfielder of this caliber since perhaps Michael Brantley. Nor will Kwan’s arbitration salaries be prohibitive, even for the Guardians. The next big hopes are Chase DeLauter, who may be out for the season due to a hamate fracture, and Jaison Chourio, who has yet to succeed at High-A.
Still, trading players with Kwan’s service time is the circle of life for the Guardians, so I imagine if someone offers multiple cornerstone top-100 prospect type players (especially position players), they’ll take a hard look at it.
Carlos Santana is 39 and he’s been terrible since June, so I could see a DFA in the offing. The Guardians may first attempt some of the $4MM he’s still owed this year. C.J. Kayfus, 23, has done nothing but rake in the minors, though his Triple-A strikeout rate is high at 28%. It’d make sense to give Kayfus a look this year, unless the team is trying not to start his service time clock.
What will happen with Bieber, one of the more intriguing trade targets of the 2025 deadline?
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