Jeff Passan’s Phillies’ Trade Idea Lands Guardians Steven Kwan, Emmanuel Clase originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies have two needs they could address at the MLB trade deadline. Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies will be looking for bullpen help and could also be involved in the outfield trade market.
With the trade deadline approaching, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan identified trade targets for all the contenders this season. For the Phillies, Passan linked them to a strong reliever.
But, Passan also pitched a wild trade idea, which would have the Phillies swinging a deal with the Cleveland Guardians for both All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan.
“As long as the Phillies are aiming high,” Passan writes, “And nobody aims high quite like Dave Dombrowski — perhaps they could take a run at landing both Clase and Steven Kwan from Cleveland.”
It’s a wild scenario, but the Phillies could pull it off, as they have the prospects to do so. The Phillies, who’ve been reluctant to move their top prospects, would likely have to part ways with them in such a deal.
“Maybe it would take Andrew Painter.” Wrote Passan. “Maybe Aidan Miller. Maybe Justin Crawford.”
Not only are both Kwan and Clase former All-Stars, they are also under team control for the next few seasons, with Kwan through 2027 and Clase through 2028.
To make things even more appealing, neither would be too expensive. Kwan is making less than $20 million over the next two seasons, while Clase is making $26 million over the next three seasons.
They are under team control through the Phillies window (2027), are cheap, and fill the two biggest needs at the deadline. If there were a deal to use the top prospects on, this would be it.
Clase, while not to the 0.61 ERA he had in 2024, he’s still a strong 3.13 ERA this season. He’d be a massive upgrade over Jordan Romano, who has been a disappointment since coming to Philadelphia.
Kwan is coming off three-straight Gold Glove seasons and is making his second-straight All-Star appearance this season. He’s hitting .292 with a .757 OPS, which would be fourth on the Phillies in 2025.
While it’d cost a lot of prospects, Passan’s trade idea would be the perfect move for the Phillies to bolster their team and compete this season.
Kwan and Clase are two of the best players who could be moved at the deadline, and adding both in a deal would be a massive boost to the organization’s chances at winning the 2025 World Series.
Related: ESPN’s Jeff Passan Links Guardians Reliever to Phillies Amid Jordan Romano Struggles
Related: Phillies Should Hold Onto Mick Abel Barring Blockbuster Return, According to Former GM
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.