Overview

• Emmanuel Clase was placed on administrative leave on July 28 while MLB investigates him for sports betting and will be ineligible to pitch until at least August 31.
• The Guardians, now 52-54 and trailing both the AL Central and wild-card races, have lost their chance to buy at the deadline and are pivoting toward selling controllable assets.
• Steven Kwan has emerged as Cleveland’s top trade candidate, drawing “a ton” of interest from the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Phillies and Padres.
• Kwan is earning $4.175 million in 2025, remains under team control through 2028, ranks in the top percentile for contact hitting and is a three-time Gold Glove winner.
• Cleveland is also evaluating the trade value of rehab-bound starter Shane Bieber as it seeks to bolster its farm system with high-upside prospects.