Steven Kwan will be brought up in trade speculation all offseason, or until the Cleveland Guardians decide to move him.

Sometimes, deciding when to trade a player is clearly the correct thing to do for the betterment of a franchise. But in the case of Kwan,

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently warned the Guardians about dealing Kwan this offseason, pointing out the offensive deficiencies Cleveland already has, even with the two-time All-Star on the roster.

“The Guardians discussed him at the deadline. They set their bar high, and no one met it. Will they discuss him again? I would expect that they would, simply because that’s what the Guardians do,” explained Rosenthal.

“But if you trade Steven Kwan off and offense that was a bottom-five offense last season, then where are you? And this is a team. Remember, coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. So yeah, they can entertain it, but it would have to be a really good return, and they’d have to get some offensive help… To me, that would be a tough guy to trade right now.”

Rosenthal is spot on with his assessment of the Kwan situation.

Cleveland may not look like a World Series contender on paper, by you can’t argue with the results. They have won their division three of the last four seasons, and always end up playing in October, when they could desperately use a player of Kwan’s skill set.

The Guardians could trade him this winter, but they’d have to get a return that includes a hitter who can help Cleveland right now, on top of a prospect or two that could make an impact in the future.

That price might just be too high for even a desperate contender to meet.

Kwan still has two more years of team control left. Yes, his value may be highest right now through the 2026 trade deadline, but Cleveland doesn’t need to move this offseason or ever.

The best approach would be to listen for offers this winter, try to extend him during spring training, and if neither of those goes as planned, revisit a trade at the deadline.