Cubs Rumors: Steven Kwan trade talk ignites after Guardians miss World Series

The Cleveland Guardians just missed the World Series, being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the ALCS. Shifting focus to the offseason, it would seem that now would be the time for the Guardians to serious consider trading Steven Kwan, considering he's entering his final year of arbitration.

Loosely, there's been speculation that Kwan will be on the trade block this winter, and considering the Cubs may have a short-term need for an outfielder, he's an ideal name to keep an eye on. We also may now have loose confirmation that the Guardians will, indeed, be shopping Kwan this offseason.

FanSided's Robert Murray reports the belief among rival executives is that a trade of Kwan could be possible this offseason. It's still a piece largely based on educated speculation, but Murray does name the Padres and Cubs as potential suitors.

Guardians' ALCS exit puts Steven Kwan trade idea in focus

Talking about the Cubs, Murray states the obvious in that the Cubs may to replace both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki this offseason. Even if the Cubs have some level of confidence in Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez as outfielders moving forward, the reality is right now, their offense is set to take a big step backward if there's no external addition made this offseason.

The other connection is Carter Hawkins. Hawkins was with the Guardians before joining the Cubs' front office, and likely would make it easier for the two teams to find common ground on a trade.

There are clear reasons why Kwan could be a fit for the Cubs in 2027. He's going to be affordable, considering the final year of arbitration, and that will allow the Cubs to keep their focus on pitching. He also would raise the level of production for the outfield as a whole, compared to where it would be with Shaw and Ramirez both operating as starting outfielders.

While Kwan's contact-oriented approach would have been something they needed this past offseason, it's possible they will have a need for more power in 2027. It's unlikely that Pete Crow-Armstrong will have the power output in 2027 that he had in 2026, and the Cubs' next best power-hitter was Suzuki. Not to mention, Happ, if nothing else, was good for 20 home runs each season.

Since making his debut in 2022, Kwan has never hit more than 14 home runs in a season. That would be a lot of power that the Cubs would be sacrificing for a high floor.

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