Guardians' Steven Kwan Reportedly Eyed By Phillies, Padres amid MLB Trade Rumors

As the Cleveland Guardians have played themselves back into wild-card contention in the American League, their desire to sell prior to the trade deadline remains a mystery even though teams are calling them.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres are among the "many teams" that have shown interest in two-time All-Star Steven Kwan.

Kwan has been one of the most popular names mentioned leading up to the July 31 deadline, but it's unclear how motivated the Guardians will be to trade from their main core group.

Heyman noted it would take a "compelling offer" for Cleveland to consider a move. ESPN's Buster Olney reported on Tuesday it was "unlikely" Kwan will be dealt in part because he is under team control for two additional seasons beyond 2025.

The Guardians seemed like an obvious seller early in the month when they lost 10 straight games, dropping their record to 40-48 on July 6.

Since that time, though, the Guardians have won 10 of their last 12 games to get back to .500 and one game back in the loss column of the Boston Red Sox for the final wild card spot in the AL.

The Phillies and Padres are two teams that desperately need to upgrade their production out of left field. They are tied for 25th in FanGraphs' WAR from their left fielders (minus-0.3).

Max Kepler, the primary starter at the position in Philadelphia, is hitting .207/.305/.372 in 89 games this season. Padres left fielders have a combined slash line of .227/.282/.326 with six homers in 101 games.

The Phillies are tied with the New York Mets for first place in the NL East and two games back in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NL. The Padres have climbed to within four games of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, while leading the San Francisco Giants by 1.5 games for the final wild card spot.

Kwan ranks fourth among all qualified left fielders with 2.1 fWAR in 92 games. The 27-year-old is hitting .285/.348/.393 with six homers and 11 RBI for the Guardians.