Thursday, November 05

Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and 2026 was my second season covering Cleveland for MLB.com.

CLEVELAND -- Steven Kwan’s future with the Guardians has been a subject of conversation in recent years, through the lens of both a potential contract extension and a potential trade. This offseason, any chatter around his status could have a slightly different tune to it.

Kwan is eligible to become a free agent after the 2027 season. He’s at the stage contractually that, historically, has marked an inflection point of sorts for Cleveland, which is constantly balancing the present with the future.

The Guardians could weigh a number of paths forward. The first questions are how they view a player in Kwan’s situation, and whether there is any potential urgency surrounding a player with a ticking contractual control clock.

“I think our past history would say it could play out in a variety of different ways,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said during the Guardians’ end-of-season media availability last month. “There are certainly guys that have finished their term of control and gone to free agency. There are other guys that have been traded prior to the season, other guys midseason. A lot of that just depends upon circumstances.

“But as we sit here today, we're expecting Steven Kwan to be a big part of a contending team next year.”

With a player in Kwan’s position, Cleveland has often weighed its long-term options. Among them include continuing the partnership with a key contributor, with the risk of losing him in free agency one year later, and mulling a trade to recoup future value. Left unsaid with the former is the potential to work out a contract extension.

As Antonetti noted, history shows us a number of ways Cleveland has operated in these situations. The club retained right-hander Cody Allen and outfielder Michael Brantley through their windows of club control. Both then departed as free agents after the 2018 season.

On the other end of things, Cleveland traded first baseman Josh Naylor (December 2024), shortstop Francisco Lindor (January 2021) and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo (December 2012), each of whom was entering their final season of control.

Ultimately, every player’s situation is different. As much as history provides past examples, it doesn’t foretell future events. And while things can change this offseason, it seems like the Guardians had a positive end-of-season meeting with Kwan.

“We were talking about his offseason," Antonetti said, "our appreciation for the year he had, the way he was able to turn around his season, how much we appreciate his on-field performance, his leadership. Our expectation is that he's going to be here moving forward.”

A two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner, Kwan has been crucial to the Guardians' success the past five seasons. In 2026, he enjoyed a resurgent second half after a bad first three months that raised some questions about his long-term outlook.

Kwan hit .212 with a .575 OPS in 78 games through June, over the course of which the Guardians demoted him from the leadoff spot. In 73 games from July 1 onward, he hit .352 with an .886 OPS and reclaimed his spot atop the lineup. 

As much as the Guardians were thrilled with Kwan’s on-field turnaround, he was praised along the way for how he carried himself off the field amid his highs and lows. 

“When we talked about moving him down [in the lineup] and I spoke with Steven about it, he was receptive to it,” manager Stephen Vogt said last month. “Obviously I'm sure it didn't feel good, but the goal was to get [him] back going, and let's see where [he] fit in.

"The best version of our team is with him in the leadoff spot. And to his credit, every difficult conversation we had, he took in stride and then went and put in the work and turned it around. ... All the credit goes to him for the work that he put in, the determination to never back down.”

Beyond his offensive turnaround, Kwan added center field to his tool box this past season and emerged as a Gold Glove Award finalist, while also factoring into the left-field mix. It’s another interesting wrinkle to his situation. His plus defense across multiple positions should only benefit his overall value.

It certainly was of value to the Guardians this past season given the lineup flexibility Kwan’s versatility provided, and he is poised to provide it once more next season.

The Guardians have a sudden opening to fill on Vogt’s coaching staff, after assistant pitching coach Joe Torres was named the lead pitching coach for the Reds under manager Terry Francona on Wednesday.

Torres’ departure marks the first change to Vogt’s coaching staff this offseason. While the Guardians anticipated their full staff returning in 2027, they recognized other clubs could ultimately make overtures.

Torres just wrapped up his fifth season on the Guardians’ Major League staff and his 10th campaign with Cleveland overall. Working alongside pitching coach Carl Willis and fellow assistant pitching coach Brad Goldberg, the 44-year-old was renowned for his work in an organization with a strong reputation for pitching development.

The Guardians ranked in the top 10 in MLB in ERA in each of Torres’ five seasons on the big league staff. Torres helped develop pitchers such as Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Gavin Williams.

Torres previously served as the Cleveland organization’s pitching coordinator (2020-21). He also was pitching coach at the Lake County alternate training site (‘20), as well as for Single-A affiliates Lynchburg (‘19) Lake County (‘18) and the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League (‘17).

• What does the future hold for Guardians team leader and free agent catcher Austin Hedges? Read more >>

• Here’s MLB.com’s early look at the 2027 Power Rankings. Read more >>

• MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis ranked the 2026 rookie class by players’ long-term value. Read more >>

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