The 2025 MLB trade deadline was fireworks from the beginning. Move after move got done, with the Philadelphia Phillies making moves of their own, trading for a pair of teammates from the Minnesota Twins.
They traded for closer Jhoan Duran on Wednesday and then outfielder Harrison Bader on deadline day. Both moves are big for their current roster needs, but still more could have been done. One move that Phillies fans were still holding out hope for was Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
The 27-year-old left fielder is a two-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove Award winner and is a true specialist when it comes to making contact with the baseball. This season Kwan is hitting .286 with 53 runs, nine home runs, 38 RBIs and only 38 strikeouts through 102 games. He also has two additional years of team control after the 2025 regular season. According to MLB.com's Tim Stebbins, Kwan was available with multiple teams interested.
Steven Kwan was one trade deadline move Phillies fans would have loved to see
According to David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kwan was definitely a name the Phillies should've considered (subscription required). Adding Kwan to the current Phillies' outfield would have not only improved the team, but also made it way more dynamic than the production they've gotten from their outfield this year.
As a team, the Phillies rank eighth in the majors with a 20.9 percent strikeout rate. Their outfield however, ranks 13th at 22 percent. Kwan is currently at 8.4 percent, which ranks fourth best in all of baseball, per FanGraphs.
That dream came to a screeching halt after Zack Meisel of The Athletic was informed on Thursday that Kwan would stay a Guardian after all.
The Guardians are not trading Steven Kwan, per source.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) July 31, 2025
Multiple teams were interested in Kwan, and the Phillies seemed like one of the few that could make it happen. They were among the teams named by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal as in on Kwan after the Emmanuel Clase gambling investigation news broke and Cleveland became sellers subscription required).
They acquired both Duran and Bader without depleting the top of the farm system, and that is exactly where the hang-up could have been in an effort to get Kwan. If the Phillies wanted him, the package would have to start with No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter.
“[Steven Kwan] 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.”
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) July 29, 2025
-@Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/6qBG8RbDc0
At the end of the day, the Phillies did give up prospects to address the needs of the roster. They now have a real closer and another outfield bat to hopefully plug in successfully. The Phillies made a splash, but it wasn't the big one that Phillies fans had been dreaming of. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had a chance to have an all-time trade deadline, but perhaps it would have been too rich of a deal to accept.