Kwan, 28, has logged 4,873 2/3 innings in the outfield in his career. The vast majority of those, 4,689 2/3 innings, were spent in left field. His midfield experience consists of just 31 frames. 30 of those were back in 2022, his debut season, with one frame in that spot last year.
His work on the left has been superlative, with the numbers putting him head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Dating back to his debut in 2022, he has 68 defensive runs saved and 25 outs above average to his name. The DRS count is more than double that of everyone else in that location Ian Happ he is second on the rankings with a total of 33. Even though he is primarily a midfielder, Daulton Varsho is second in the OAA rankings for left fielders the past four years, with his 11 not anywhere near Kwan. In his four seasons, Kwan has won four Gold Gloves and three Fielding Bible awards.
Despite his excellent work on the left, the Guards have not tried him in the more demanding midfield position. Myles StrawAn excellent defender in his own right, spent most of 2022 and 2023 at center. Straw’s poor attack spurred the Guards to finally move on. He spent most of 2024 in the minors and was traded to the Blue Jays last winter.
Cleveland’s center field job has been fairly open the past two years, but the Guards haven’t tried to move Kwan. That could be because he felt comfortable playing left and no one was pushing him for the job. The Guards have spent scant money on free agents in recent years and have also struggled to complete the development of some of their outfield options.
That has left them cycling through a mix of guys in the middle, including Angel Martinez, Tyler Vrijman, Avenue Thomas, Daniel Snowman, Nolan Jones and others. No one has really taken possession of the spot and the Guards enter 2026 with some uncertainty on the field, a common position for them in recent years.
Kwan will be locked up in a place somewhere. The best options for the other two slots could be George Valera And Chase DeLauterboth of whom were promoted at the end of 2025. Valera appeared in 16 regular season games and three postseason games, splitting his time between right field and designated hitter. DeLauter didn’t even play in a regular season game as he was promoted and made his big league debut in the Wild Card round of last year’s playoffs.
Valera doesn’t seem to be an option in the middle. He has some minor league experience there, but his last regular action at that spot was in 2023. He managed just nine Triple-A innings in center in 2024 and was kept in the corners last year. DeLauter did play a center role for the Guards in the postseason last year, but that seemed like a contingency plan to get his bat into the lineup. He didn’t actually play any central role in the minors last year. His most recent regular run there was 86 1/3 innings of Double-A ball in 2024.
The Guards looked well suited for a midfield addition this winter, but were unable to secure one. They’ve had an extremely quiet winter, with the most notable signing being a $5.5 million deal for reliever Shawn Armstrongfollowed by $1.5 million for reliever Colin Holderman. That lack of spending comes despite Jose Ramirez deferring part of his warranty as part of his new extension. It’s also unlikely the Guards will pay up Emmanuel class because of his gambling research.
Due to the lack of offseason activity, the Guards enter the season with Kwan, Valera and DeLauter as their three most exciting outfielders, but someone will have to play center. The designated hitter spot could be used for added flexibility, but for first basemen Kyle Manzardo And CJ Kayfus could share that spot.
If Kwan can handle center, it could help the Guards add some extra strength to a lineup that has been lacking in recent years. Last year they won the American League Central mainly thanks to pitching and defense, as the team as a whole hit .226/.296/.373 for an 87 wRC+, better than just the Pirates and Rockies. Kwan has a career .281/.351/.390 line and 112 wRC+. Valera slashed .255/.346/.457 for a 114 wRC+ in Triple-A last year, while DeLauter slashed .278/.383/.476 for a 130 wRC+ at that level.
It’s also possible that Kwan doesn’t move to center and ends up back on the left, where he feels comfortable. The Guards could try DeLauter or Valera there, but as mentioned, neither has played much center in recent years. If all three end up as corners, that would leave center to guys like Martínez and Schneemann, while DeLauter and/or Valera could compete against Kayfus for at-bats in the DH slot. Martínez has a .226/.277/.353 line and 77 wRC+ in his career with Schneemann at .210/.290/.358 and an 84 wRC+.
Boys like it Kahlil Watson And Petey Halpin could also see some playing time, but is likely behind Valera and DeLauter on the depth chart. Watson is a converted infielder who has only played in the outfield for a few years, although he is believed to be making good progress on the grass. Halpin’s offensive ability is considered slightly behind the rest of the guys in this group.
Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images
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