Cubs Mentioned as Fit if Guardians Look to Trade Steven Kwan
The Guardians are officially in offseason mode after being eliminated by the Rays in the ALCS, and they could be looking to move one of their star players prior to the start of the 2027 campaign. Steven Kwan is projected to earn a little more than $11 million in his final year of arbitration, and Cleveland might see more value in trading him before he reaches free agency. FanSided’s Robert Murray speculated about a potential trade, naming the Cubs and Padres as two teams that would have interest in the outfielder.
We have previously explored some paths the Cubs might take to fill the corner outfield spots that are technically vacant at this point. Both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki will be free agents once the World Series ends, and the latter may end up commanding a price the Cubs aren’t willing to meet. Happy could be in line for a qualifying offer or very team-friendly deal to keep a seat warm for Kane Kepley, Josiah Hartshorn, or Ethan Conrad, but it’s hard to argue against finding a short-term replacement at Kwan’s low projected cost.
Those who’ve wished fervently for the end of Happ’s Cubs tenure will surely love the idea of Kwan replacing him because it looks like a huge upgrade to them on paper. One of the biggest gripes against Happ is that he strikes out too much, even though his 24.6% rate since 2022 is only about two points higher than league average. His 75.4% contact rate is likewise marginally worse than average over that span.
Since coming into the league, the lefty-batting Kwan’s 9.5% strikeout rate trails only Chandler Simpson (8.6%) and Luis Arraez (4.8%). Kwan’s career 92.1% contact rate and 3.1% whiff rate are second only to Arraez (94.4%, 2.7%), so we’re talking about an elite hit tool in that regard. Kwan’s flirted with .300 a couple different times, and ended up hitting .282 this past season despite carrying just a .225 average into the break.
He also happens to be a four-time Gold Glove winner, so defense isn’t an issue. Again, that looks like exactly the kind of player the Cubs would want to add. Kwan is most definitely the type of player Happ’s detractors want to add. Just be careful what you wish for, because putting too much emphasis on certain numbers could have you overlooking others that are more important.
Some might think Kwan’s batting stats indicate the kind of consistency folks have longed to see from Happ, but that really isn’t the case. Though the 29-year-old Cleveland outfielder’s career 112 wRC+ is just three points below Happ’s, the fluctuation has been significant. Kwan posted a 125 in his rookie season, then dropped to 99 in 2023 before rebounding for a 130 the following season. He then fell to 98 in 2025 and bounced back to 114 in 2026.
That means Kwan has been a below-average offensive producer in two of his five years in the league. Happ, on the other hand, has never been below a 105 in parts of 10 seasons. Then you’ve got the gap in power. Kwan has 39 career home runs over 3,226 plate appearances, and his .101 ISO is tied with Arraez and Nico Hoerner for 330th out of 349 hitters over the last five seasons. Happ has at least 21 homers in each of the last four seasons, and his .184 ISO since 2022 ranks 107th.
I’m obviously not trying to make the case that Happ is some sort of incredible offensive producer, or even close, just that believing Kwan represents a significant upgrade could lead to disappointment. The bigger issue is that losing Suzuki’s power means they can ill afford to take a step back in that department at both outfield spots. And with most of their resources presumably going to improve the pitching staff, it’s hard to see the Cubs finding 25-30 dingers at a discount.
One thought would be that Kwan’s salary being so much lower than what Happ and Suzuki were earning creates a surplus that could be used to further augment the outfield. However, that leaves out the reality that Happ and Suzuki are currently being paid nothing for 2027 and beyond. Then there’s the fact that Kwan’s salary isn’t his only cost, as the Cubs would have to part with prospects to land him.
Hoyer isn’t trading Hartshorn under just about any circumstances, though Kepley or Conrad might be on the table even if we’re just talking about a rental. As unlikely as it is just to hit on one of three outfield prospects, the odds against having all of them work out are tremendous. So while there’s always a risk that you’ll trade away the one who ended up being a star, it’s even more likely that you’ll hold onto guys who fizzle.
Back in 2023, MLB Pipeline had Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcántara, and Brennen Davis as the Cubs’ top three prospects. In 2021, their top five prospects looked like this: Brailyn Márquez, Davis, Miguel Amaya, Cristian Hernández, and Ed Howard. Outside of Márquez’s partial inning in 2020, Amaya is the only member of that group with MLB experience. The big lefty hasn’t pitched professionally since 2024; Hernández is now with the Marlins and hasn’t gotten past Double-A; Davis finished the year at Triple-A with the Mariners; and Howard was released by the Cubs in late August.
Okay, so where do we land after all of that? I think the idea of trading for Kwan is decidedly meh, with the potential to be a mistake if the Cubs don’t address right field in a meaningful way. There are certainly worse options out there, but anything Kwan brings from a contact standpoint is mitigated by his abject lack of power. Unless you believe that the Cubs can simply morph into the Brewers overnight by leaning into a counterintuitive offensive approach.
That said, I would not necessarily be opposed to the Cubs trading a top-10 prospect for one year of Kwan. As high as I am on Hartshorn, he may not be ready to make the leap next year. Same for Kepley. So if Happ doesn’t accept the QO — assuming the Cubs extend one — and the two sides can’t agree on terms for a guy who sure looks like he needs a platoon, making a trade with the Guardians could net them a high-floor veteran whose contract won’t weigh them down in either cost or duration.
