Guardians ponder plans for Steven Kwan, Shane Bieber as MLB trade deadline approaches

CLEVELAND Steven Kwan has heard the whispers of teams lining up to trade for him.

Hes flattered.

He also knows he has no control over which uniform he dons after Thursdays 6 p.m.

ET trade deadline, so he has tried to block out the noise.

For the Cleveland Guardians to be convinced to trade the All-Star left fielder, it will require quantity and quality in terms of prospects, multiple league sources told The Athletic .

Advertisement Its a crazy time, Kwan said.

I see it.

Ive never had this happen to me before.

But I cant do anything about it.

The Guardians can do what they usually do: Set a price and sit back and wait for teams to match it, insisting they dont have to trade him since he has two more years of team control.

The San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds are all thought to be among the teams with some level of interest.

Kwan boasts a .286/.350/.409 slash line, with more walks than strikeouts and a good chance to claim his fourth Gold Glove Award in four seasons.

As one rival executive put it, Kwan is immensely valuable, especially given his team control.

He could help a contender for three postseason runs.

He could also help the Guardians, of course.

Kwan is in the starting lineup, batting in his customary leadoff spot, for Cleveland in its series finale against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

The Guardians are off Thursday.

Kwan said his agent is coming to Cleveland just in case theres a trade.

It will all take care of itself when it comes, Kwan said, but for now, its just social media news.

It doesnt mean much.

Said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt: I havent noticed a change in his demeanor one bit, and along with him, some other guys who are in the rumors.

And thats what they are still theyre rumors until theyre not.

That didnt stop teammate Jose Ramirez from joking Wednesday afternoon that it was his teammates last day to break some quiet in a mostly empty home clubhouse.

Kwan and the Guardians have talked about his contract in each of the past two springs but have been unable to strike a deal.

I would love to, Kwan said about working out an extension.

I love it here.

I love everything about this place.

If they gave me the opportunity, I would love to.

The Guardians front office typically limits those chats, as Kwan also noted, to spring training.

Kwan acknowledged itd be a distraction to negotiate during the season.

It would be outside of their realm as well, so I dont want to waste their time.

They have a certain way of doing things, he said, adding that it would be interesting to see if they would change that strategy now.

Advertisement If the Guardians opt to hold on to Kwan, they could wind up in a similar situation to the one they found themselves in with Ramirez during spring training in 2022.

After weeks of negotiations, they finally reached a long-term deal with the face of their franchise before Opening Day.

Otherwise, Ramirez was bound for San Diego or Toronto in a trade.

Conversations between the Guardians and some of the leagues more legitimate contenders have picked up because the deadline is approaching but also because the Guardians are caught in a strange position after the revelation that closer Emmanuel Clase is involved in the same MLB sports betting investigation that has sidelined pitcher Luis Ortiz .

Clase and Ortiz are on non-disciplinary paid leave until at least Aug.

31.

Cleveland entered play Wednesday at 53-54, 3 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot in the American League.

The Guardians werent considered likely to be aggressive buyers anyway, but now the question appears to be how profoundly they want to sell.

Shane Bieber seems more likely to be moved since hes headed for free agency and the market is lacking in top-shelf starting pitching.

Theres risk involved, sure.

Bieber has made four starts over the last 24 months, but he looked sharp in his tuneup for Double-A Akron on Tuesday afternoon.

He has been pleased with his velocity, and he could be ready for a big-league mound in the next two weeks.

The Guardians have been receiving calls on him in recent days, league sources said.

One element to consider is that even if Bieber declines his 2026 player option (worth $16 million) and instead chooses a $4 million buyout the likely scenario the Guardians could extend him a qualifying offer and recoup a draft pick if he rejects that and leaves in free agency.

So, the Guardians would ask for more value than a potential compensatory draft pick.

(Top photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images).

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