Padres Want All-Star Outfielder in Potential Blockbuster Trade Deadline Deal

Jul 7, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) hits a RBI line drive off of Houston Astros starting pitcher Colton Gordon (not pictured) head in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres, along with the Philadelphia Phillies, are in for Cleveland Guardians All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, per Jon Heyman.

Phillies and Padres are among many teams interested in Kwan https://t.co/IwYmE1Hard

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 23, 2025

The Friars have been in for a left fielder for months, as Jason Heyward's injury and eventual release has left them without a natural left fielder for the last couple months. Designated hitter Gavin Sheets has filled the vacancy in the outfield, however his absence at DH still poses an issue to the Padres, who have continually shuffled their lineup around to accomodate their shortcomings.

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Kwan has played all four of his seasons with the Guardians, and has featured across the outfield during his four-year major league career. He made his second straight All-Star game this season, and has a .285/349/.392 slash line for a .742 OPS in 2025. Kwan has a strikeout rate of 8.4 percent this season, which would fit right in with the Padres' NL-best 18.9 percent strikeout rate. Kwan strikes out less than 99 percent of qualified MLB batsmen, the exceptions being the Athletics' Jacob Wilson, the Cubs' Nico Hoerner and potential future teammate Luis Arraez.

To land a fish as big as Kwan, the Padres would need to offer a huge package to the Guards, who are already short on outfield depth and are steadily in the mix for the AL Wild Card. He has two years left of team control after this season and has an extremely manageable contract, so parting with a top prospect may be necessary to sway Cleveland.

The Padres have struggled offensively over the past month and a half and are looking to use the deadline to deepen their lineup. They've scored the second fewest runs in the National League since the beginning of June, and are collectively hitting below league average. Despite this, they have gained significant ground in both the Wild Card and the NL West over the past few weeks, pulling themselves into the final Wild Card spot and 4.5 games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers in their division.

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The Friars will look to close the gap on the Dodgers and give themselves a little more wiggle room in the Wild Card as they begin a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at 4:45 p.m. PT.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.