The Cleveland Guardians may not have ended up getting Steven Kwan to sign a contract extension anyway.
But the deal Bo Bichette just signed with the New York Mets to leave the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency may have just changed the math altogether.
Bichette got three years for $126 million. That works out to $42 million per year.
Kwan is a similar player to Bichette, a contact-first weapon at the plate. And Kwan is also a Gold Glove left fielder, while Bichette's shortstop defense was subpar enough that the Mets are moving him to third base, a position he has never played in professional baseball.
Here's some more comparison between the two:
Overpay for Bo Bichette at $42 AAV over three years kills the chances for the Cleveland #Guardians to extend Steven Kwan.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) January 16, 2026
Only about five teams in the league have F**k you money to be able to eat that kind of deal that is unrealistic to the player's actual production.
If I'm… pic.twitter.com/s36UXs3KmZ
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Kwan has been involved in trade rumors since the deadline, and now with two years left on his contract, he's approaching the prime window when Cleveland would usually deal a player away if they didn't felt he'd stick around.
It's definitely worth it for the Guardians to start gauging what Kwan might be seeking. If it's anything approaching those big numbers, a trade might really end up being the best option to recoup some value.
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