After a sensational rookie season, Steven Kwan says he’s open to discussing a long-term contract extension with the Guardians, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
Kwan finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year, after posting a .298/.373/.400 line with six home runs across 638 plate appearances. A lot of his value was in the defensive side of things, as Kwan amassed 21 Defensive Runs Saved and 10 Outs Above Average for his work in left field, contributing to a 4.4 fWAR rookie year. It was quite the rookie year for a player who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 draft and never featured on any top-100 prospect lists.
In any case, Kwan is now a nailed on starter for the Guardians and he says “it’s mind-blowing” to even be discussing a long-term extension. Kwan picked up a full year of service time for the Guardians last year, which means he has two more seasons of pre-arb control and then three years of arbitration before he likely hits free agency after the 2027 season. While it seems highly unlikely anytime soon, Kwan could technically be optioned to the minors still, in which case his scheduled free agency could be pushed back.
As for what a contract extension might look like, Ronald Acuna Jr.is the most obvious comp that immediately comes to mind after he signed an eight-year, $100MM contract with Atlanta after posting 4.1 fWAR in almost a full year of service time. Acuna was the consensus top prospect in all of baseball going into his rookie year, so there was a fair bit more hype and certainty around his future. On the flip side, that deal was widely considered to be extremely team-friendly at the time, given Acuna’s upside as an elite five-tool player. Regardless, it’s an interesting starting point to begin considering what a potential extension for Kwan may look like.
Here’s some more notes from around the American League:
- Sticking with Cleveland, and one player who seems unlikely to be taking an extension is starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Cleveland’s ace told reporters he’d “love to entertain that, but right now, I’m going to focus on what I can control and that’s my work on the field.” Bieber has two remaining years of club control and is coming off a season in which he tossed 200 1/3 innings of 2.88 ERA ball, finishing seventh in AL Cy Young voting. What that means is that any extension for Bieber is going to be significant, and likely well above the biggest contract Cleveland’s ever given out, Jose Ramirez’ five-year, $124MM extension.
- Shifting north of the border to Toronto, and headline trade acquisition Daulton Varsho is set to be a big part of the Blue Jays’ plans this season, but it seems he’ll be playing almost exclusively in left field. According to The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath, there are currently no plans for Varsho to catch any spring training games for the Blue Jays. Of course, Varsho could sporadically catch in the case of any emergency, but it’s unlikely he’d approach anything near the 55 games he caught for Arizona over the past two seasons. That’s not a huge surprise, given Toronto traded away Gabriel Moreno to get Varsho and have Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen slated to handle the catching duties this season. Varsho hit .235/.302/.443 with 27 home runs while earning 17 Outs Above Average for his outfield work in Arizona last year.
- McGrath’s report also confirms that former top prospect Nate Pearson is being built up as a reliever this spring. While he won’t be starting, it does seem like he’ll be in more of a bulk role, rather than a one inning relief role, per McGrath. Pearson, once a top-ten prospect in all of baseball, has been restricted to just 33 largely unsuccessful big league innings since his debut in 2020, and didn’t pitch at all in 2022 as a lat strain restricted him to just 15 2/3 minor league innings. McGrath reports that Pearson was sitting at 96-97 mph, with a fastball that topped out at 100 mph.
Hoppity Hooper.
Just one year of a healthy Pearson to see what his ability is would be enough for me.
A righty OF bat that can hit lefties would be nice too… If baseball Santa is listening.
Baseball Santa does most of his work during the weeks after the Winter Meetings.
Kwan isn’t getting $100M from the Indian-Guardians; however, that doesn’t mean he won’t be more valuable than Acuna again this season (and in the future).
They’re just called the Guardians. Hope this helps.
Not to me. Hope that helps.
Well, you’re a baby then.
Colt 45’s / Astros. Because we were never in space, it was all smoke and mirrors. Whatever.
What are you 12 years old? Go play by the train tracks.
The kid throwing a tantrum because a team name changed is telling other people to grow up. Good one, junior.
I’d say it’s the people throwing tantrums at people misgendering- I mean, misidentifying- I mean, mis-naming a pro sports team that really need to grow up, I agree.
What are you talking about, Steinbrenner? Narcissists flip things around like that. Congratulations, you’re a psychopath.
I just got back from the train tracks. I put a penny on one and waited for a train. Then I fetched it.
Good times.
Lol. I was replying to the other guy, whyhayzee.
Cohen, but I am like a 12 year old.
Well, at least you’re not a baby like the other guy!
I just got tickets for the Quakers playing the Beaneaters down by the railroad tracks.
I hear the Minnesota Caucasians are coming to town next week!
guardians finally developed a very good outfielder.
Sizemore was pretty good.
Cleveland’s owner comes across as a miser, but the truth is, Guardians fans are terrible at supporting the team. Attendance is absolutely lousy. Scarcely better than similarly successful Tampa Bay despite a lot more financial commitment to the Guardians roster.
2012 – 19.8k, $79MM (Lost 94 games)
2013 – 19.4k, $87MM (Playoffs)
2014 – 17.7k, $74MM (Won 85 games)
2015 – 17.3k, $59MM (Won 81 games)
2016 – 19.7k, $95MM (World Series)
2017 – 25.2k, $114MM (Playoffs)
2018 – 23.8k, $143MM (Playoffs)
2019 – 21.4k, $151MM (Won 93)
2020 – —–, $102MM (Playoffs)
2021 – 13.8k, $50MM (Won 80 games)
2022 – 16.0k, $66MM (Playoffs)
Hopefully the infusion of money and renovations get fans to actually attend their games. I don’t expect ownership to extend the wallets much until the fans start showing up.
I wonder what happened there. I remember when I first started watching games in the 90s they were sold out every game.
Manny, Belle, and Thome absolutely bashing was compelling baseball.
With Lofton and Vizquel setting the table.
Yeah they also had Baerga,Sandy Alomar, and Eddie Murray all of whom were all-stars. They could hit 1-9. Their weakest spot in the lineup was probably Paul Sorrento and even he could hit pretty well. Probably one of the best hitting clubs of all time.
Sadly, Cleveland is a football town no matter how bad the Browns are.
Jacobs Field opened in 1994 and Cleveland made the playoffs 6 of the first 8 years played, including 2 trips to the World Series.
New stadium effect had an impact, no doubt, but to see the way attendance totally cratered after 2001 is crazy. It never rebounded despite getting back to the World Series and owners opening up the wallets.
As a Cleveland fan, this has always baffled me, seeing as the Browns could be winless and still sell out every game, with considerably higher ticket prices. What gives?
I don’t know where to look up the stats, but my guess is that a big part of the change in attendance figures over the last 30 years is simply demographic. When I visit my old hometown I am struck by how empty it seems. Like me, a lot of fans simply moved away. I still watch online, but not in person. Likewise, the 22 year old fan of 1993 is now 52, with a mortgage out in Lorain or Lake County and a couple of older kids who are too busy gaming to join the old man for a trip downtown. So he watches in his man cave. The percentage of in-person fans in the prime age groups who live within 30 minutes may well be the same as it ever was, but that demo is smaller than it used to be and certainly smaller than other towns.
Cleveland is a blue city with many citizens thinking their football team is a better investment of sports $. The Neanderthal thinking is why it’s a dying city.
Dobnak tossed two innings today for the Twins. Still under contract.
Assuming this was meant for a different article? LOL.
Cleveland is not going to throw money at Kwan this year, no chance. He had a solid season but there is still a lot of show me left to do there.
As someone who watched the Guardians all last year Kwan is possibly the purest hitter on the team (except maybe JRam) and I would welcome them signing him to an extension.
Can the Guardians of Cleveland get some help from the Guardians of the Galaxy? Star Lord can step right in at first base, he is an on base machine, hits clutch dingers too.
With 5 years of controll left there is no reason for Cleveland to throw money at Kwan right now. Bieber as all but gone in 2 years if he continues to pitch the way he has been
Guardians of the checking account..
An account that might get a huge dent from a certain television network going under. In fact all AL Central teams other than the usually bumbling White Sox use the troubled network. White Sox own their own. Only thing they did right
Guardians need sisu this year
I love the player. As cheap as they are tho I doubt they will pay for a big deal unless it is for an even better offensive player. Also I do believe his offense could slip a little. Players who aren’t big prospects seem to not have as much scouting done on them by other teams when they are a rookie and many pitchers overlook them when preparing for games until it’s obvious they are for real, which he seems to be. But many people in general take a bit of a step back in year 2. Many players also put up great defense in their early 20s and decline pretty rapidly. They have him for 5 more years already. Doesn’t seem in any way like the kind of move they would make.
Calling Acuna a suitable comp for Kwan at that same time in their careers is borderline laughable, and I hate the Braves. That’s why WAR can’t be the only baseline for salary comparison.
Borderline ?!? The most absurd comparison in trade rumors history ! Just as that Acura contract is the worst in mlb history. Kwan isn’t within 2 leagues of Acura.
Kwan has no power. He can remain that dominate defensively, but never save that many runs again. Just like judge will hit a ton of homers but may never hit 60 again. Hard to be that hyped about a powerless LF who may have had his career year already
Calling Acuna a suitable comp for Kwan at that same time in their careers is borderline laughable
============================
Except for the fact that Acuna hit 26 HRs and Kwan only 6, and Acuna was the #1 prospect in BB, and Kwan unranked, and Acuna was 20 and Kwan is 25, it is a perfect comp.
Fast-forward, there isn’t much reason to extend Kwan. There is seldom anything wrong with buying out control years on the cheap, but the only time it becomes compelling is when someone is a star, and more importantly, young. Then you’d like to buy a couple of those age 28-29 years.
Kwan is already 25, and his first FA year would be age 30. At that point, the defensive value is likely to decline.
Keep telling yourself that!
Cleveland will always need to watch their spending. The fans do need to support a winning franchise a little better though.
Kwan’s value can only go up with this little league start clock. He’s quick an ready. So he’ll do well as a Punch an Judy fleet of feet type of guy. 9th inning bases loaded punch out, for taking too long to get in the box, what a joke. Baseball needs to change the times to 25 an 20 if they want to continue being childish.
What’s a “Punch an Judy” type ??? Before my time reference, I guess.
Kwan will never get his due from anyone except Cleveland fans. Batting Average is not one of the skills that is appreciated in today’s fantasy baseball world.
Improper use of the term “fantasy baseball world” BA is very relevant in that world.
Ima BA fan and I like kwan if they can move him to CF w similar defensive results. There he has potential be one of better CFers in baseball. No chance though in Left. Can’t be a premier LF in baseball w single digit homers
Kwan is a David Peralta, Inder Inciarte type, who were plus fielders and excellent hitters without a lot of power. To compare Kwan’s earning power with Ronald Acuna’s is pretty laughable.
Kwan would be more valuable if he played a gold glove caliber centerfield though.
I think Kenny Lofton is a better comp than either Petalta or Inciarte. He’s not as fast as Lofton, but very similar overall profile: high-contact hitter with few strikeouts, but still draws walks at an above average rate. Not much in the power department, but great defensive outfielder.
“To compare Kwan’s earning power with Ronald Acuna’s is pretty laughable.”
Last year, Kwan’s WAR ratings were 5.5 bWAR and 4.4 fWAR.
Acuna’s 2022 WAR ratings were 2.8 bWAR and 2.2 fWAR. His highest ever came in 2019, the juiced ball year, when he rated 5.1 bWAR and 5.4 fWAR.
“Laughable” might be overstating the case. Acuna’s playing on an 8-year $100M contract.
Ice burn!
These are some of the most absurd combined comments I’ve ever seen on a single mlbtr thread. What are y’all on? Lol
Is the Kwan comparison to Acuna a joke? Acuna was a top 1-3 prospect and expected to have a high FLOOR. His deal was a massive underpay because even his floor was worth that contract. The Braves got his low end performance for an ok price and on top got all his upside for free basically. Kwan is outperforming what everyone expected. His floor is well below Acuna’s. His offensive upside is questionable, although many players have found power later on their careers, it happens, but rare. An extension for him should look like peanuts compared to even Acuna’s underday.
It’s okay to be objective and not a homer in this instance.
I don’t follow the Braves, so I don’t know what was going on with Acuna last year; but last year his HR% was 2.8%, while the league average was 2.9%. Was he injured?
His OPS+ was 114, while Kwan’s was 124. Same goes for their respective wRC+, 114 to 124. Those are productivity averages.
Also, Kwan was credited with 9 Outs Above Average. Acuna was taxed with -7 Outs Above Average.
Runs and RBI are team-dependent, but Acuna was hitting in a stacked lineup and Kwan had more Runs and RBI (albeit with a lot more PA).
Although Kwan doesn’t hit for power, his .400 SLG didn’t lag Acuna’s .413 SLG by much.
In Ichiro’s first 10 years in the league with Seattle, he hit only 90 HR, but he ranked 4th in fWAR behind Pujols, A-Rod and Bonds, in that order. Kwan isn’t Ichiro by any stretch, but his skill set is similar. I don’t expect him to be a Top 10 player, but I do think the projection models might be selling him short.
FWIW, Kiermaier is a better comp. Great glove, with average bat.
I believe that KK bought out three control years and 3 FA years for $53.5M. To get to the same 6+1 deal, it would be for 5 control years, one FA year, and one option. That would be about $0.75, $0.75, $5, $10, $15M plus $15M for his first FA year, and a $15M option plus a $2M buyout.
$50M tops.
Correct. But Kwan will continue to be the more valuable player on a cheaper contract.
Guardians fan here. You’re wrong about Kwan on all accounts.
To say his value mostly came from his defense is misleading. He won a gold glove and played elite defense, but you don’t just luck into a 124 OPS+ and become one of the best contact hitters in the game. He has very limited power and people downplay his offense as a result, but let’s not negate the value he brings offensively because it’s what separates him from just being Myles Straw.
Secondly, even as a Guardians fan, the Acuna comp is laughable — especially if you really believe that most of his value from last year came defensively. Defense doesn’t pay in arbitration and his relative lack of power and “counting stats” won’t either, so he has a much lower baseline for guaranteed money in a potential extension. Acuna had shown in-game power and those same “counting stats” that would have made him a ton more money down the line through arbitration. He sold himself short but that doesn’t mean his contract is a good starting point.
Thanks for the amazing insight. Very refreshing take from a set of eyes that actually watches baseball.
Always ask and trust the actual fans of the guy or team you are talking about. Becauae, they can give you knowledgeable responses like this.
I’ll take the insight of a true fan that watches 100+ games a year over a guy who looks at Acunas stats and watches him maybe 5 games a year if they make the playoffs
I appreciate that. I totally respect the writers here because there’s a ton to cover around the league, so you’ve got a lot to keep track of and that’s tough.
But yeah, Kwan is too good to just be looked at as someone who plays defense and nothing more. He’ll be worth whatever he gets if they extend him, but it won’t be for $100 million. The arbitration system needs a lot of work, but with the way it’s designed, Kwan doesn’t really have a skillset that pays much even if it’s one that’s really important to have. It’s just weird to say that his value from last year came mostly from defense, then to say he’s a $100 million player because that’s what one of the better young hitters in the game signed for.
Another Guardians fan here (you didn’t know there were so many of us, did you?). It appears quite a few commenters are using the Acuna comparison to bash Kwan. Kwan has Kenny Lofton vibes. He is what they hoped Myles Straw would be. The team is a pitching factory. They don’t need to score 8 runs per game. Kwan gives them a guy on base in front of Ramirez VERY frequently. He saves runs defensively. And given his lack of power, they won’t have to pay big for the HR. Kwan isn’t getting $100 million over 8 years. But he will get an extension that offers the team options on FA years. It’ll be cheap, and everyone will be happy. Watch the kid in interviews, in the community, and on the field. The fans love Kwan. He’ll be the CF when Cleveland wins the WS.
We need more two-way players doing some catching during part of the game and then going out and playing the field. Really too bad that MLB is so against multidimensional players. I really miss the good ol’days of the 1800s baseball. Nowadays, it’s gotten so boring.
BTW, Get Off My Lawn!
Kwan appears to be a four tool power who lacks much power, fortunately he draws walks and avoids strikeouts enough to be a league average/slightly above average hitter going forwards. Other things in his favor are the fact he is a very good defender who also can efficiently steal bases so going forwards having a 3-4 WAR outfielder is certainly worth keeping around. If Kwan can trade some contact for more power he could be even better.
Kenny Lofton might be the most underrated OF in MLB history. 6 all star nods, 4 gold gloves, insane catches that should be in anyone’s top 10 all time. & he was a .300 career hitter. He deserved more HOF love from the voters. If rolen & Baines is in, the real Willie Mays Hayes should be too.
Meh.