3 reasons why SF Giants should reignite interest in Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan

Steven Kwan is a very interesting player. He’s simply not your prototypical MLB outfielder, but he would also immediately become the SF Giants' best outfielder on the roster.

Now, the outfielder enters the final year of his contract, and the San Francisco Giants should definitely look to trade for him. For what it is worth, the Cleveland Guardians are known to trade assets before they reach free agency.

This is the expected outcome for Kwan, as they will look to recover some value. Cleveland is not in a position to extend its homegrown talent, so it trades them while they are still under team control. It is a constant process of churning established talent to acquire more cost-effective talent, and they excel at it.

Steven Kwan would bring a dynamic of speed, contact, and defense that the SF Giants need

1. Adds more contact, speed, and a great glove to the lineup

Kwan is very consistent in what he gives. His speed alone would be a major add to the top of the lineup. Athleticism is something the Giants have lacked for a while now, and this is a step in the right direction. 

Over the last few years, Kwan has stolen at least 20 bases in 2 of his 5 seasons. However, in one of those campaigns, he stole 19. The Giants ranked 22nd in the league in this category in 2026. Kwan would certainly help get them closer to mid-pack while also making it easier to manufacture runs.  

Kwan also carries a career .282 batting average. But he’s also a doubles machine, having racked up 127 in his time in the big leagues so far. It is reasonable to think that with his speed, some of these become triples, which would also make it easier for the Giants to score. 

But maybe more importantly and more valuable than all of that, is the fact that Kwan plays Gold Glove defense.   

Basically, Kwan would be a Luis Arraez type but with a little bit of speed mixed in. The one con is that he is a left-handed bat in what appears to be a pretty left-handed-dominant lineup heading into the winter.  

2. Great low-cost (financial) option

Kwan is on an expiring contract. This is one of the key reasons why they should trade for him. 

Most MLB teams are willing and always seem to move a player on an expiring contract to get something in return, knowing they won’t re-sign the player. Now, I’m not saying you can give up peanuts to get him. But I’m also saying the price won’t be outrageously high, either. 

If I had to guess, you could get the deal done for a mid-level prospect, and by also taking on all of the money on the deal. 

The outfielder is also projected to make $11.3 million, which the Giants can take all of to drive the price even lower. On top of this, San Francisco should be willing to go in even more to make the product that much better. They didn’t spend last winter, so I’d expect Buster Posey and company to be busier this winter after the disappointment of 2026. 

3. Local ties

This is maybe the most obvious reason why the Giants should bring in Kwan. San Francisco has had a long history of bringing Bay Area-born players home, too. 

You can just look back at Joc Pederson and Brandon Crawford as local players the Giants have had in the organization. 

Kwan was born in Palo Alto and grew up a Giants fan. A trade to San Francisco would just make too much sense. It certainly would make it easier for his family to come watch, but that’s just a small part of it. 

The Giants would also have a chance to sign Kwan to a contract extension that will either take him through the rest of his career and make him a staple in the outfield. If they choose to go more of a short-term route, they could just sign him through his prime. 

However, we all know the problem the Giants have had luring in local players. They tried to grab Aaron Judge and came up short. My worry is the same thing will happen with the Giants again. Unfortunately, this team has had bad luck when it comes to bringing Northern California players back to the Bay.  

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow