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Phillips: Ranking the Top 10 MLB Trade Candidates This Offseason

Steven Kwan was a name frequently floated at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, but ultimately he wound up remaining with the Guardians, who made a dramatic late push to reach the postseason.

Now that the offseason is here, it’s likely that the trade rumors surrounding Kwan will re-ignite. The 28-year-old is entering his fifth MLB season, and although he’s under control through the 2027 season, Cleveland may be better off looking to flip him now while his value is still sky high.

It’s not difficult to see why teams would be interested in bringing Kwan aboard this offseason. He’s won the Gold Glove at left field in each of his first four seasons in MLB and is a reliable contact hitter. He would be a huge addition for any team looking to add some stability to the lineup, as well as a steady hand in the outfield.

So, what teams would make sense as possible landing spots for Kwan? Let’s take a look at some fits.

New York Yankees

Kwan is the exact type of player the Yankees have been sorely lacking. New York, as is often the case, led MLB in home runs with 274, 30 more homers than the next best team. For all the power they have in the lineup, they lacked a reliable contact hitter. Yankees batters ranked third in MLB in strikeouts in 2025, and although they were first in OPS (.787), the team was 10th in batting average (.251).

Defense was also a major concern in New York, particularly in the outfield. Jasson Dominguez started the bulk of games at left field, but he had a disastrous year in terms of his defensive production. Dominguez ranked dead last, 33rd of 33 qualified left fielders, in outs above average (-10) and was also last in defensive runs prevented (-9). Plus, with Cody Bellinger potentially leaving in free agency, the need for a reliable defensive outfielder is even more pressing.

Kwan would alleviate the Yankees’ defensive inefficiencies in left field, while also providing them with a consistent hitter who isn’t always swinging for the fences.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers and Guardians nearly agreed to a Kwan trade in July, but the deal never came to fruition. Now, fresh off its second consecutive World Series win, L.A. may circle back around in order to get that deal over the finish line.

The two-time All-Star could fill the Dodgers’ void in left field. Michael Conforto was Los Angeles’s primary left fielder in 2025, and he struggled both on offense and defense. Kwan would be a marked improvement over Conforto, in just about every facet. Last year, Kwan slashed .272/.330/.374 with 11 home runs, 56 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. He struck out at a healthy 8.7% clip, the best mark of his career and fourth-best in all of MLB.

In terms of a return, there’s perhaps no team in baseball better equipped to take on a star-caliber player like Kwan. The Dodgers have the best farm system in MLB and would certainly be able to offer Cleveland a suitable return in exchange for the All-Star outfielder.

Blue Jays

The Blue Jays made their somewhat improbable World Series run by putting the ball in play. Toronto assembled a roster of capable hitters, not many of whom will hit the stitches off the ball. The Jays prefer a more old-school approach, getting runners on base and driving them in, rather than relying on the long ball.

It served them well throughout the season and into October, and Kwan would be another great fit for that style of play. Only the Royals struck out less often than Toronto in 2025, and as previously mentioned, Kwan is rarely the victim of a strikeout. He would also provide the Jays with some much-needed baserunning. The Blue Jays ranked 28th in stolen bases last season with a total of 77 steals. Kwan alone swiped 21 bags last year, so his speed on the base paths would certainly address a need in Toronto.

Matthew Breetzke’s ODI career started solidly as he consistently scored runs from the top of the order. In this ODI series, though – his first both in India and against India – he is performing an entirely different role.Breetzke has been pushed down to No. 4 with senior players Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock and the captain Temba Bavuma forming the top three, and he’s coped well, scoring a match-winning half-century during South Africa’s chase of 359 on Wednesday.”Obviously, I’m just getting more experience now batting at four, which I’m starting to feel a little bit more comfortable in the role,” Breetzke said on the eve of the series decider in Visakhapatnam. “So that helps, and I think the more I play at number four and in this role, hopefully the better I’ll get.”Related

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The two games against India provided him with two different situations to deal with as well. In Ranchi, he went in with South Africa having lost a lot of wickets and in need of recovery. In Raipur, they were chasing a bigger total but had a solid foundation.”Obviously, the first game there was a little bit of trouble that we were in, so I had to sort of build the innings and then in the second game it was about just managing the guys that were coming in.”We lost obviously Aiden [after his century] and then I had to sort of manage [Dewald] Brevis there and then just managing those guys and letting them bat around me, they’ve got the explosive power – it was just about really looking to build a partnership with them.”Breetzke also highlighted the depth and power in South Africa’s batting line-up. “I think we’ve got a nice balance in our side with a couple of guys that are just proper batters, and then you’ve got powerhouses like Brevis and [Marco] Jansen that can sort of change the game on its head.”We’ve seen [Corbin] Bosh in the last two matches play some really special innings, I think as the top four, it gives you a lot of confidence; you can take a little bit more time because, you know, they’ve got that explosive power at the back end. So for us, it’s just about setting that platform up for them to come in at the end and do their thing.”There’s a lot of confidence in the batting group at the moment, but we will have to do it again tomorrow.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly instructed his squad to report for training on Christmas Day, despite not being scheduled to play on Boxing Day this year. The Gunners return to Premier League action on December 27 when they host Brighton at the Emirates Stadium, but Arteta is adamant that the preparations must continue without interruption.

• Gunners told to come in on Christmas Day

  According to Arteta will hold a training session at their London Colney base on Christmas morning. Players will be permitted to return home after training, as Arteta remains determined to keep standards high during a crucial stage of the season. Arsenal’s previous game comes just two days earlier, a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on December 23, and the expectation is that the squad will be granted Christmas Eve off, a date culturally significant for many of the club’s European contingent. Even so, the festive meal will be delayed for several members of the squad, like Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, who must alter family plans.

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  Arteta's intense training regime under scrutiny

  Arteta’s demand for a Christmas Day session comes at a time when the club’s injury list has drawn criticism, despite the manager repeatedly denying that his methods are too taxing. The Spaniard has dismissed the idea that training intensity is to blame for the spate of issues, but a growing number of observers believe fatigue is beginning to take its toll. The Gunners are currently without several key defenders, including William Saliba, who has missed four matches after suffering a recurrence of complications from an ankle injury sustained earlier this season. Arteta provided fresh insight into Saliba’s condition ahead of Arsenal’s meeting with Wolves, revealing that the defender’s absence stems from compensations he made while recovering from an ankle twist suffered at Anfield in August.

  "It was something quite small," he said. "It came from an ankle injury that he had and then he started to modify the way he was running and he started to overload an area, which is something common. But at some point he was uncomfortable continuing to be able to train and play and we had to stop it. He looks better but we'll have to wait and see if it's enough for him to be able to train with the team."

  On being pressed whether the defender will be available this weekend, Arteta said: "We have to wait and see. Yesterday we didn’t train, so we have an extra day between this afternoon, let’s see if he can be available or not. It remains the same. If you asked me for the Everton game, I think he will be fit; for tomorrow, I don’t know."

• Arteta is seeking trophies, not validation

  Despite the defensive turbulence, Arsenal responded superbly in midweek, dismantling Club Brugge 3-0 to maintain a perfect Champions League record of six wins from six. Asked whether his side are receiving enough credit for their strong standing across the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, Arteta brushed off the question. 

  "I don’t know, that’s not for me to judge," he said. "We’re in a very strong position in the three competitions that we’ve been involved in so far, and that’s what we have to continue to do at the end. The credit has to come at the end of the season, that’s when we’re going to measure what we’ve done, but in order to achieve that, you have to be achieving, every single day, the objectives that you want. So far, I think we are in a very strong position."

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  Arsenal's 33-minute flight raises eyebrows

  The Gunners made headlines again this week for their 33-minute flight from Luton to Ostend for their Champions League match in Belgium. The journey from Ostend Airport to Bruges by coach took even longer than the time spent airborne. Yet this is not the shortest flight Arsenal have taken, as a 2015 trip to Norwich lasted just 14 minutes and drew criticism at the time. There will be no controversy this weekend, however. Wolves travel to the Emirates for Saturday evening’s Premier League clash, a fixture Arsenal are expected to dominate against a side still searching for their first league win of the season.

Boland took 5 for 67 and Murphy 3 for 17 to bowl Victoria to victory after Konstas’ 53 and Davies’ 64 had New South Wales on track in a thrilling fourth innings chase

Alex Malcolm17-Oct-2025

Sam Konstas finally won a battle with Scott Boland but New South Wales lost the war against Victoria with the Test quick and spinner Todd Murphy combining to bowl their state to a thrilling victory at the Junction Oval inside three days.New South Wales were 184 for 5 needing just 71 to win before Boland took the last five wickets of the match, including Oliver Davies for 64 as he threatened to take the game away. Boland also gave Davies an uncharacteristic stare after knocking off his leg bail with a stunning delivery that jagged back through the gate. Earlier, Murphy took 3 for 17 in a game-changing spell, including bagging Konstas for a rollicking 53.New South Wales were left frustrated, falling short of chasing a fourth innings target of 255 on the back of a superb display from the bowlers to give them a chance of winning the game. They were also on the end of two controversial stumping decisions.The first was given against Matthew Gilkes as part of a collapse of 4 for 7 after they had reached 90 without loss in the chase. Gilkes played and missed at Fergus O’Neill with Victoria keeper Sam Harper up to the stumps. Harper held the ball near the bails and paused for a moment. Gilkes briefly moved his back foot behind the popping crease and Harper removed the balls during that time. The square leg umpire gave him out stumped in real time with no TV umpire available in Shield cricket.The second went against No.11 Ryan Hadley, who was visibly annoyed when given out caught in the gully after the umpire deemed he had got an inside edge onto his pad.Sam Konstas made 53•Getty Images

While Boland was the hero late for Victoria, Murphy had turned the game following a superb stand from Konstas and Blake Nikitaras. Konstas’ innings was a thrilling ride. He was almost bowled by Boland not offering a shot in the opening over. He reverse ramped the Test quick for six. He also charged O’Neill and lofted him over mid-off. He hooked Mitch Perry to fine leg but Murphy was too far in off the rope and it cleared him but landed well inside the boundary.Murphy exacted revenge though. After forcing Nikitaras to miscue to mid-on to break the opening stand, he picked up Konstas for the second time in his career. Konstas tried to cut a good length ball that spun and bounced more and he expected and chopped it onto his stumps. Murphy also removed Kurtis Patterson caught behind shortly after.It was a sequence the New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd bemoaned post-match. “That was a terrific partnership, a bit of punch, a bit of counter punch from both batters, but both got out in a disappointing fashion,” he said. “So that opened the door, and the door was then slammed shut on us.”[Konstas is a] baby cricketer in terms of experience as are a number of batters in the game on both sides. So there’s a lot of learning to be done. And he’s learned a couple of lessons today.”Incredibly, Murphy did not bowl another ball in the match after picking up Patterson in his eighth over. Victoria captain Will Sutherland opted for pace against the right-handed Davies who is a good player of spin.Davies looked set to win the game with a superb display of driving through the off side. He struck nine fours and a six before Boland snaked one through the gate. Boland then ripped through the lower-order, hitting the stumps twice more en route to his 10th five-wicket haul for Victoria.Three wickets apiece to Hadley and Liam Hatcher had given the Blues a reachable fourth innings target by combining to bowl out Victoria for just 177 in their second innings.After Hatcher and Hadley had claimed five wickets under gloomy skies on the second evening, Edwards struck twice in the morning session with Harper edging to slip and Sutherland nicking behind to leave Victoria struggling at 121 for 7. Mitchell Perry and O’Neill added valuable runs before Perry chopped Hadley on to hand the NSW quick his third scalp of the innings.O’Neill thrashed five boundaries in his brisk 25 before he was outfoxed by Nathan Lyon. O’Neill skipped down to try and launch the Test spinner over long-on but was beaten in flight and stumped by miles.Murphy was the last man out, adjudged lbw trying to reverse sweep a Lyon delivery that pitched on off stump.The victory propels Victoria to the top of the table with two wins from two matches.

Warwickshire 258 and 7 for 3 trail Nottinghamshire 374 (Hameed 122, Verreynne 83, Patterson-White 70) by 109 runsLed impressively from the front by captain Haseeb Hameed’s fourth century of the season, Nottinghamshire clinched the 2025 Rothesay County Championship on day two of the final round of fixtures, the Division One leaders putting themselves out of reach of defending champions Surrey as they totalled 374 in reply to Warwickshire’s 258.Needing just two more points at the start of play to deny Surrey a fourth consecutive title, Nottinghamshire achieved that goal at six minutes before five o’clock as Kyle Verreynne, their South Africa international wicketkeeper, pulled seamer Nathan Gilchrist high over the deep midwicket boundary for six, taking their first-innings total past 300 to secure a second batting bonus point.Verreynne, who also hit the winning runs as South Africa beat Australia at Lord’s to be crowned World Test champions in June, raised both arms in the air before embracing batting partner Liam Patterson-White as a Trent Bridge crowd that had grown considerably since lunch rose to their feet.He went on to make 83, with Patterson-White hitting 70 as the two shared a decisive seventh-wicket partnership of 119. Ethan Bamber, Ed Barnard and Gilchrist took three wickets each but at 7 for 3 in their second innings, trailing by 109 runs, Warwickshire, who had their sights on overtaking Somerset to take third place in the table, are in deep trouble.It is Nottinghamshire’s seventh County Championship in all and their first since 2010, one that was effectively won a week ago when victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval made them short-priced favourites to take the crown.Head coach Peter Moores, for many years the only coach to win the title with two counties until Mark Robinson, twice a winner with Sussex, equalled the feat in 2021 with Warwickshire, now stands alone in winning Championships with three counties, having previously done so with Sussex and Lancashire.Yet for all that it was Verreynne, who hit four sixes, and Patterson-White, who struck 11 fours, who grabbed the glory, it was Hameed who made it possible.Haseeb Hameed raises his bat on reaching three figures•Getty Images

The 28-year-old sometime England opener’s 122 laid the foundations and took his season aggregate to 1,253 runs in first-class matches, the highest of his career. This is the third time in four seasons he has exceeded 1000 runs.Earlier in the day, he and Ben Slater had put on 56 for the first wicket as Nottinghamshire, who had claimed the final Warwickshire wicket with the last ball of the opening day, came through a difficult morning session at 100 for 2.Slater, caught behind as Michael Booth found some extra bounce from the Radcliffe Road End, and Freddie McCann, who lost his middle stump to Bamber, were the two morning casualties.It would have been 78 for 3 had Hameed not been put down by Rob Yates at second slip on 45. As it was, as conditions for batting became a little easier after lunch, Hameed and Joe Clarke (52) added 122 in 32 overs for the third wicket.Two dismissals in three balls then jolted their progress. Clarke, reaching for a delivery outside off stump, feathered a catch to Alex Davies off Bamber, before Jack Haynes, confident he had let his second ball go past the bat, looked up to find Warwickshire’s appeals for a thin edge to the keeper had been granted.Haynes was the third of six victims in the innings for Davies, a total in a single innings bettered by only two other keepers in Warwickshire’s history.If that was not a reminder to Nottinghamshire supporters to take nothing for granted, then the sight of Hameed completing his fourth hundred of the season flat on his stomach surely must have been.Confident there was a single on as he clipped Bamber towards midwicket, the captain was startled to see Tazeem Ali swooping to field and even his full-length dive might not have saved him had the teenager’s shy hit. As it was, Warwickshire ran out neither Hameed nor new partner Verreynne, who would have been out by a distance without scoring had the throw gone to the keeper’s end.Hameed – dropped at slip in the previous over – was bowled middle stump by Nathan Gilchrist on the stroke of tea, leaving them 218 for 5. The ovation from the spectators was fully deserved. The season has seen him make a double-hundred twice and carry his bat through the innings twice.Warwickshire’s seamers were rewarded again half an hour into the final session as Lyndon James edged Barnard to give Davies a fourth catch. Nottinghamshire, now six down, still needed another 52 for 300 and with the second new ball soon to become available.It might have been a moment of jeopardy, yet any sense of that quickly disappeared. Verreynne and Patterson-White had clearly decided on a glorious finale and it was Gilchrist who felt the full force of it.His first over with the new ball went for 17 after Patterson-White had begun it with three glorious shots for four, his second for 15 as Verreynne took centre stage.It was the cue for the seventh-wicket due to really let rip, stretching their partnership to 100 in precisely 100 balls and 119 from 120 before Verreynne, who hit nine fours and four sixes, became a fifth victim for Davies behind the stumps, a ball from Barnard glancing the bat as the South African tried to pull it clear.Back for another spell after his chastening experience earlier, Gilchrist then obtained the smallest modicum of revenge by bowling Patterson-White, and Barnard picked up his third wicket by bowling Brett Hutton.Gilchrist was the bowler as Mohammad Abbas nicked to Davies, leaving Warwickshire, 116 behind, to face four overs before the close, in which they lost both Yates and Davies leg before to Abbas as the Pakistan international delivered a final flourish to Nottinghamshire’s day, Hutton getting in on the act by having nightwatcher Bamber caught at second slip.

Jude Bellingham inherited the No.5 shirt when joining Real Madrid and continues to look every inch the natural successor to Zinedine Zidane in that iconic jersey. World Cup-winning Frenchman Zidane once starred as a ‘Galactico’ for Los Blancos, and Bellingham is doing likewise. The England international delivered a couple of outrageous tricks during Real’s goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano.

• Blank for Los Blancos: Real frustrated by Vallecano

  That result has done Xabi Alonso’s side few favours, with two dropped points on the road allowing Clasico rivals Barcelona to close within three in the ongoing battle for La Liga title honours. Real continue to lead the way for now, but the chasing pack are bunching up behind them.

  Bellingham did his best against Vallecano to ensure that Los Blancos found an attacking spark. When it comes to posting a blank in the goal-getting department, the finger of blame cannot be pointed squarely in his direction, with the 22-year-old midfielder once again showcasing his creativity.

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• Watch Bellingham deliver Zidane-esque tricks

• Bellingham leaves Real's rivals chasing shadows

  At one point, Bellingham collected possession in the middle of the park. His first touch appeared to have got away from him, but his second calmly scooped the ball over an onrushing opponent, onto his head and away into space. Zidane was once famed for a similar move that saw him glide beyond rivals.

  Another eye-catching moment for Bellingham saw him drift wide on the left flank. He stood up a Vallecano star, moved the ball from one foot to the other, and disappeared down the line. The only thing lacking was a final delivery that allowed the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior to find the target.

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  New role: Bellingham playing deeper for Madrid this season

  Alonso had suggested when taking the reins at Santiago Bernabeu that he would be looking to drop Bellingham deeper in his plans, with the Englishman no longer required to operate as a No.10. He is, however, very much capable of filling that role when required.

  He spoke of his pride at taking the No.5 shirt when heading to the Spanish capital – having seen Zidane previously win La Liga and Champions League titles in it – with the exploits of an all-time great being emulated. Bellingham has registered three goals for Real since returning from summer shoulder surgery and is back in the England squad ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

Australia now lead by 181 with four wickets in hand but West Indies had given themselves a glimmer

Andrew McGlashan14-Jul-20250:51

Khawaja and Smith both knocked over cheaply

West Indies’ pace bowlers surged under lights on the second day at Sabina Park as the Test moved at a breakneck speed, with Australia stumbling to 99 for 6 amid a torrid working over in some of the toughest conditions imaginable.Sam Konstas’ miserable series ended with a duck, leaving his Test prospects for the Ashes in jeopardy. Cameron Green, on the other hand, played outstandingly for an innings worth far more than the 42 on the scoreboard, although he could have been run out on 14. By the close of another hectic day, which saw 15 wickets fall, Australia held a lead of 181 which was already considerable in the conditions, but West Indies had given themselves a glimmer.Related

Konstas will play for Australia again, but will he play Ashes?

Earlier, West Indies had been dismantled for 143, with Australia’s bowling sharing the success. Scott Boland, who replaced Nathan Lyon in the XI, finished with three wickets. Australia took a first-innings lead of 82, but it also meant they started their second innings at the beginning of the final session, as the lights took full hold.The passage of play when West Indies took the new ball was electrifying. Konstas wasn’t able to get off the mark as he jabbed at a short-of-a-length delivery from Shamar Joseph and was caught in the gully. It left Konstas, who had been billed as the future of the top order, with 50 runs in the series at 8.33.Usman Khawaja managed to take his balls-faced tally in the series to over 300 – a not-inconsiderable achievement given the conditions – but inside-edged a big drive against Shamar Joseph into his stumps, making it all six dismissals for the series from around the wicket.

Brutal pace from Alzarri sends Webster back!#WIvAUS | #FullAhEnergy pic.twitter.com/iIo6aH2wnt

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 14, 2025