The San Diego Padres face the same basic question that all other teams must answer as the MLB trade deadline on July 31, 2025, draws near: Do you have enough offense in October? Steven Kwan, an outfielder with the Cleveland Guardians who is steadily making the wish lists of several playoff-bound teams, may hold the key to the solution for A.J. Preller’s ultra-aggressive front office.
What makes Steven Kwan?
As one of baseball’s best table-setters, Steven Kwan has established a solid reputation. Batting.285 with a.350 OBP, nine home runs, 37 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, and outstanding outfield defense, his 2025 season carries on an extraordinary trend. Although Kwan is not a slugger, he would be an excellent addition to any lineup because of his bat-to-ball abilities, Gold Glove fielding, and near-magical contact ability. Additionally, Kwan’s price is significantly increased because he is still under club control through 2027.
Most significantly for the Padres, Kwan is exactly what their offense is missing: a reliable presence at the top of the order who can convert hits into runs in a lineup that occasionally finds it difficult to generate offense.
San Diego’s outfield has performed well below league average, stealing momentum from a formidable infield core. With the NL West still within reach and a Wild Card place seeming inevitable, the Padres have every reason to swing big. Even if their farm system isn’t as extensive as it was in previous years, if they find the right star, they can still support a blockbuster. Kwan is perhaps a more sensible target than a number of older, more costly batsmen because of his years of team control and alignment with positional needs.
A Kwan trade is still unlikely, but not impossible, for Cleveland to consider. Although Kwan’s trade value is at an all-time high and the Guardians are in the midst of the wild card chase, their offense is still erratic.
Cleveland does not need to relocate Kwan because he will remain under management for two more years after 2025. However, the Guardians can at least listen to see if a “blow-away” package is on the table because there isn’t much of a market for impact outfielders.
Creating the Ideal Guardians and Padres Steven Kwan’s proposed trade
This type of move would deprive San Diego’s still-potent prospect list of depth while providing a tried-and-true, manageable difference-maker for several postseason runs.
Padres are given:
OF Guardians’ Steven Kwan receives:
Adam Mazur, RHP, C Tirso Ornelas, OF, Ethan Salas
Ethan Salas is a generational catching prospect for the Guardians, and his advanced bat, leadership skills, and defensive prowess might make him the team’s face for the next ten years. Mazur’s fastball/slider combination, which has already garnered major league attention, offers a lot of rotational upside. Ornelas is a patient and powerful switch-hitter who could replace him as a starter as early as 2025.
Although losing Mazur and Salas hurts the Padres, it also strengthens their organization because their system still has plenty of pitching and catching options.
Tinkering with the margins won’t address the obvious need that the return—a controllable All-Star left fielder—fills. The Friars need Kwan’s speed, high OBP, and superior defense at the top of the order to turn talent into postseason victories.
The Padres’ aggressive pursuit of contention warrants this strategy, even though Cleveland hasn’t publicly shopped Kwan and the cost will be prohibitive. However, only proposals that have the ability to change the Guardians’ destiny will be able to test their resolve as MLB’s powerful deadline approaches. They might just agree to this kind of arrangement, which represents the modern game’s emphasis on striking a balance between youth, cost containment, and star-level contribution.
In addition, such a daring move would change baseball’s perceptions: an ambitious, prospect-rich team like the Padres using prized depth for proven productivity indicates a desire to win championships above all else. In addition to altering the lineup for 2025, adding Steven Kwan would provide the defense a certain anchor in left field and offer consistency and skill for upcoming seasons, which would affect young batters.
By accumulating high-upside talents who could make their debut soon and reconfigure their future core, the Guardians would expedite their retooling. Anticipate that opposing front offices will be intently watching the outcome of such a transformative trade, particularly as it affects deadline dynamics and sets the market for controllable players.
In the end, a transaction of this size shows how postseason hopefuls’ risk tolerance has changed, highlighting the fact that the real currency in modern baseball is not simply payroll or prospects but also the guts to grab short-lived championship opportunities when they present themselves.
Preller and the Padres could make this blockbuster one of the decade’s pivotal moves, with repercussions felt from Progressive Field to Petco Park and beyond. It’s the ultimate win-now strategy for San Diego. It’s an opportunity for Cleveland to turn audacious initiatives into a second wave of competition.
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