Tigers Hated Rival's Star Would Be Perfect Trade Target in Unthinkable Move
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The Detroit Tigers head into the offseason looking to improve in any way necessary coming off two playoff runs that while inspiring also ended shorter than they had hoped.
Despite looking like the best team in baseball for large portions of the season, the Tigers collapsed down the stretch in 2025 and handed the division over to the Cleveland Guardians after holding a 15.5 game lead on them over the summer.
Though eliminating their most hated rival at their building in the Wild Card round eased this pain some, a sour taste still exists entering the winter. In terms of what they need to improve, perhaps it's a trade with that same bitter foe which could fix a huge portion of their problems and get Detroit to the next level.
Steven Kwan is Tigers Perfect Trade Target This Offseason
It should be noted right off the bat here that trades between two competitive and hated rivals of this magnitude are not common at all and Detroit would have to pay a premium to acquire Cleveland's All-Star outfielder.
While the price would be increased due to the nature of the hate between the teams, Kwan -- who was shopped at the trade deadline and is going to be shopped again this winter -- has exactly the kind of ability the Tigers need to fix the lineup.
An elite defender in the outfield, it's Kwan's relentless ability to get on base that makes him so dangerous. Over the last three seasons, he has accounted for a bWAR of 10.9 with a slash line of .276/.344/.387 and just set a career high in RBI with 56.
His offensive numbers don't light the world on fire, but this Detroit offense has gotten way too feast or famine, and a steady professional hitter like Kwan in the middle of the lineup is the definition of what they were missing down the stretch in October.
Tigers Trade for Kwan Would Net Two Years of Team Control
The best part about Kwan is, of course, the fact that he is arbitration-eligible until 2028 and would give Detroit two years of team control with his bat in the lineup and glove in the outfield.
A plan would have to be made as to who would play left field between him and Riley Greene, but Kwan is among the best defenders in baseball and would excel wherever he's asked out there.
The control aspect would make it even tougher to actually pull off a trade, given what the ask in return would be, but at the very least, it's worth president of baseball operations Scott Harris making a call and seeing what it would take.
Perhaps this one is a little bit of a pipe dream, but if Harris wants to fix multiple problems the plagued Detroit and ultimately ended their season, there's a real case to be made for a big trade to get the services of the 28-year-old in the Motor City.
Kwan will almost certainly be dealt this winter and even just getting him off the Guardians would be a win, but it will be interesting to see whether the Tigers throw their hat in the ring.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.