Rival Blue Jays Reportedly Interested In All-Star Outfielder

With two days left before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox have remained quiet so far, with rumors beginning to swirl around a couple of the team’s American League East rivals.

With the Red Sox currently sitting 6.5 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and owning the third wild card spot leading into action on Tuesday, it appears it’s only a matter of time before chief baseball officer of the Red Sox Craig Breslow pulls the trigger on an impact trade.

And while the New York Yankees have already completed deals for third baseman Ryan McMahon and infielder Amed Rosario, it appears that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has some uncomfortable decisions to make following the team’s placement of slugger Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain in his right elbow.

That said, and according to a slew of baseball insiders, the Blue Jays are a team that is reportedly prepared to add to its starting rotation and bullpen this week. On Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal from the Athletic connected Toronto as one of four clubs with known interest in Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.

“Kwan, 27, is earning $4.175 million this season and under club control through salary arbitration for two years after that,” said Rosenthal. “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.”

Following the unexpected news on Monday that Guardians All-Star closer and biggest trade chip Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary leave until August 31 while MLB completes an investigation into sports betting allegations in Cleveland’s clubhouse, it makes sense that Kwan has become the team’s most likely to be traded before Monday.

“The Guardians intend to set a high bar for their desired return, said Rosenthal. “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.”

If Toronto were to acquire Kwan, he would become an immediate upgrade in a Blue Jays outfield that has underperformed at the plate this season. With plenty of competition from the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres, it remains to be seen if Toronto will be able to meet the Guardians’ hefty asking price for the two-time All-Star.