This SF Giants trade would bring Bay Area native outfielder back home

We all know that the SF Giants struggle to land big players in free agency. That is why they should try for a big trade this offseason to bring Bay Area native Steven Kwan back home and bolster their outfield.

The 27 year old Kwan was born in Los Gatos, California and was raised in Fremont. He was called up to the big leagues by Cleveland in 2022 and impressed with his contact skills, hitting .298/.373/.400 with 6 home runs, 52 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.

He regressed a little bit in 2023 as his batting average dipped to .268, but he rebounded very nicely in 2024 as he hit .292/.368/.425 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. These efforts earned him his first All-Star nod as he started alongside Aaron Judge and Juan Soto of the New York Yankees.

SF Giants should trade for Bay Area native Steven Kwan

Now, Kwan and the Guardians will face off against the Yankees in the ALCS. Kwan was a huge reason why the Guradians advanced past the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. He had 11 hits in 21 at-bats and scored 6 runs. He was a great table-setter for Cleveland as their leadoff man and they will need him to continue that against the Yankees.

No matter what happens the rest of this postseason, the Giants will have a tough time prying Kwan away from the Guardians. He is a fan-favorite and clearly factors into their plans going forward.

That is why the Giants should make a very strong offer to acquire Kwan. If the Giants offered outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, outfielder Luis Matos, and starting pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt in exchange for Kwan, that could be enough to bring him back to the Bay.

Yastrzemski is a solid outfielder who could replace Kwan in the short-term, Matos is a potential long-term replacement, and Whinsenhunt is a top prospect who could develop into a reliable rotation arm.

That would be a lot for the Giants to give up, but it would be worth it. Acquiring Kwan would be the Giants fully committing to a defense-first approach with an eye on manufacturing runs on offense. Kwan is one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball. If you had him in left, Jung Hoo Lee in center, and Heliot Ramos in right field that would be a very strong defensive outfield.

Plus, with his speed and contact skills the Giants would be much better at manufacturing runs than they were in 2024. With Kwan, Lee, Tyler Fitzgerald and potentially Ha-Seong Kim they would have several guys who can steal bases and wreak some havoc on the base paths.

Acquiring Kwan would not be easy and would not be cheap. But it could be the best way for the Giants to improve their outfield and would help transform their offense going into 2025.