With a little more than a week until the trade deadline, the trade market is taking shape. A lot of the top trade targets come from the Cleveland Guardians. Teams are looking to the Guardians for bullpen and outfield help, among other needs.
As the trade deadline is approaching, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan gave a concise update on the trade deadline status for every team. For the Guardians, his update revealed that the team is taking a strong stance on their top trade assets.
"The guardians have made it abundantly clear to teams that to move Steven Kwan, Emmanuel Clase, or Cade Smith," Passan writes, "they'll need to be blown away."
While this update from Passan indicates that the Guardians will be stingy in trading their players, it doesn't mean none could be on the move. The door is still open for a trade, and if the Guardians receive a strong offer, they could make a move.
"If Cleveland senses the opportunity for value," Passan writes, "it will jump. If not, it's impending free agents -- Carlos Santana, Paul Sewald, Jakob Junis -- will be the focus."
The Guardians are trending towards being sellers, but with an easy schedule, they could change their mind depending on how the rest of July goes. For now, their players, including those under control beyond 2025, are available for trade.
MORE: MLB insider reveals Guardians' trade demands for Steven Kwan
As Passan mentioned, their expiring players, Santana, Sewald, and Junis, are the most likely to be moved. But, he also brings up another name to watch: starting pitcher Shane Bieber.
He's returning from a Tommy John surgery, and while he has a $16 million player option for 2026, a team could still have interest in bringing him in as a risk worth taking.
The overall message for the Guardians at the trade deadline is clear: they will listen to offers, but won't sell just for the sake of selling. If the right offer comes across their table, then they would be open to moving just about anyone.
Plenty of teams around baseball are interested in Kwan, Clase, and Smith. Those three will cost a team a lot, but if the Guardians get such a strong offer, Cleveland could part ways with one of their top players at the trade deadline.
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