Why the Cleveland Guardians should trade for this former All-Star shortstop

As the Cleveland Guardians head into the offseason, by their own admission they will be looking to add offense ahead of the 2026 campaign. A couple glaring holes remain open on the current 26 man roster including at shortstop.

Gabriel Arias, although laden with potential, has yet to tap into it. The club looks committed to Angel Martinez in center field for the time being, and since returning from Triple A Columbus, Brayan Rocchio seemingly solidified the second base position.

That leaves Daniel Schneeman as the odd man out on the current roster, and while being a fan favorite and discovering some more power this season, there is no way this club can convince fans that they are moving in an upward trajectory with any of these players as the everyday shortstop for '26 and top prospects Travisa Bazzana and Angel Genao will likely not be ready to assume that role come Opening Day.

Steven Kwan's name was circulated at the trade deadline and although via his own words he would like to stay in Cleveland it seems almost certain he will be moved this offseason.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a nearly identical problem to the Guardians, in that they are seemingly desparately in need of a left fielder. The Diamondbacks might lose Lourdes Gurriel to free agency this year, and besides Corbin Caroll have been looking for offensive consistency in their outfield. The platoon of Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy, while defensively special leaves something to be desired at the plate.

Enter Geraldo Perdomo, the 25-year-old rising star, who is coming off a career best 7.0 WAR season in which he slashed .290/.389/.851.

Guardians trade idea:
Steven Kwan for Geraldo Perdomo

Perdomo is 25, essentially would cost the same as Kwan (a bit more but not out of the realm of possibility) and is a switch hitter with plus power. Coming off a 20/20 season with an OPS over .850#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/7szfl5RD6D
— Alex Kaufman (@Chikaufski) October 8, 2025

As is evident from the advanced metrics via Baseball Savant above, Perdomo is an above average hitter, fielder and baserunner. To make everything better he is a switch hitter meaning he could provide the right-handed power that this Guardians lineup is so clearly missing.

Perdomo is currently on a four-year $45 million contract extension with a team option for 2030. Kwan alone might not be enough for the Diamondbacks to bite, but luckily the Guardians are sort of prospect rich at the moment especially in the outfield.

If the Cleveland front office is serious about wanting to increase payroll this offseason, this is exactly the type of move they could afford to make. Trading in 6-10 million dollars a year on Kwan through 2030, for $10-12 million a year for Perdomo through 2030, and addressing a glaring deficiency on the current roster.