The Cleveland Guardians found themselves at a crossroads once before, and the scars from that moment still haven’t fully faded.
At the end of the shortened 2020 MLB season, Cleveland’s front office faced an impossible decision. Francisco Lindor — the face of the franchise, a homegrown superstar, and a looming $20-plus million arbitration salary — was approaching the end of team control. Rather than risk losing him for nothing, the Guardians made the call that reshaped the organization: Lindor was sent to the New York Mets.
Nearly five years later, that decision still echoes. And this week, MLB commentator Chris Rose made sure Guardians fans remembered it.
During Monday’s episode of JM Baseball’s Baseball Today, Rose floated a scenario that immediately set off alarm bells in Cleveland — one that involves another beloved player, another looming contract decision, and the same familiar trade partner.
Steven Kwan.
To be clear, the situations are not identical. Lindor was entering the final year of team control and staring at a massive payday. Kwan still has two years of control remaining, and there is no five-alarm fire forcing the Guardians to act.
But Rose’s comments reopened a psychological wound for a fan base that has lived this movie before.
Any potential Kwan trade would already feel like a gut punch. A deal sending him to the Mets would feel personal.
That’s because Cleveland fans remember how the last blockbuster with New York played out. Lindor and Carlos Carrasco were shipped east in a six-player deal that was supposed to set the Guardians up for sustainable success. Instead, it became a constant reminder of what they gave up.
After a rocky first season in Queens, Lindor evolved into exactly the kind of superstar built for New York. He has earned MVP votes in each of the last four seasons, finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in 2024, and is coming off a year in which he hit .267 with 31 home runs and 86 RBI.
That history is precisely why Rose’s latest take hits so hard.
Rose didn’t hesitate to draw the parallel.
“I do think there’s one other trade candidate, I think Steven Kwan would fit them ideally,” Rose said. “They need outfield help. He is the most consistent guy. He can play in New York because he’s the same guy every day, he doesn’t hear anything. He just goes out and plays, he will give you great at-bats…”
It was the Lindor argument all over again — not in skill set, but in makeup.
Kwan’s value has never been about loud tools or headline-grabbing power. It’s about consistency, elite strike-zone control, defense, and a mental approach that never seems to waver. Those traits don’t always get celebrated in Cleveland. In New York, they can turn a player into a cult hero.
Rose stopped short of declaring a deal inevitable, but his caveat may have been the most important part of the conversation.
“I don’t know if the Mets have exactly what the Guardians would be looking for, but I do think that could be a possibility for them.”
That single sentence is where this becomes dangerous.
If the Guardians ever seriously entertained a Kwan trade, the asking price would be steep. This is not a salary dump. This is not a panic move. Cleveland would almost certainly demand a package headlined by at least one premium prospect.
On the surface, the Mets can make that conversation interesting.
They boast intriguing pitching prospects such as Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat, but it’s hard to imagine Cleveland centering a Kwan deal around pitching. The Guardians are among baseball’s best at developing arms internally, often turning overlooked prospects into frontline starters.
Position players are a different story.
The Mets’ system includes several marquee bats: outfielder Carson Benge, middle infielder Jett Williams, and third baseman Jacob Reimer. Cleveland has spent the better part of the last half-decade searching for stability in the outfield and middle infield. Any of those names would fit organizational needs — if they were part of a larger package.
And that “if” matters.
The Lindor trade was supposed to solve similar problems. Cleveland acquired Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez as long-term infield solutions. Rosario was gone by 2023. Giménez was dealt to Toronto last offseason.
The lesson was painful: prospect value and short-term fits do not always translate into lasting answers.
That’s why the idea of trading Kwan — a proven, controllable, culture-setting player — feels like tempting fate. Especially when the destination is New York, and history suggests the Guardians might spend years watching him thrive under brighter lights.
Still, Rose is right about one thing.
The Mets have the kind of prospect capital that would prevent Chris Antonetti from hanging up the phone immediately. That doesn’t mean a deal is coming. It means the conversation would be real — and that alone is enough to make Cleveland fans uneasy.
Because if the Guardians have learned anything from the past, it’s this: some trades don’t hurt right away — they hurt years later.
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