Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was expected to impact the trade deadline, but not like this.
Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on Monday in connection with Major League Baseball’s sports betting investigation, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Now, there’s zero chance the three-time All-Star closer gets traded, and the Guardians are in a state of flux.
That could mean the Toronto Blue Jays are in position to benefit, explains one insider.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Clase’s non-suspension increases the odds that left fielder Steven Kwan, now a two-time All-Star himself, could be traded by Thursday’s deadline.
The Blue Jays have already checked in on Kwan, according to Rosenthal.
“Kwan, 27, is earning $4.175 million this season and under club control through salary arbitration for two years after that. He is drawing ‘a ton’ of interest, according to a club source, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres believed to be among the teams in the mix,” Rosenthal wrote Tuesday.
“The Guardians intend to set a high bar for their desired return. The combination of Kwan’s age, additional years of control and offensive, defensive and base-running ability makes him perhaps the best position player available. He is more than six years younger than Eugenio Suárez, a rental, and his fWAR is 2.8 to Suárez’s 3.0.”
There’s a lot to digest here, because left field might not even be the Blue Jays’ biggest need. That’s likely pitching, as Toronto could use a starter and multiple relievers to boost its playoff case.
However, players like Kwan don’t become available often, especially for multiple seasons. Should the Blue Jays simply go after him because he could be another star added to their core, particularly as one star potentially exits in Bo Bichette?
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