Answering fan questions on Deadline, Guardians prospects, Kwan & more

This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

On Thursday, we held an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit with Guardians fans at r/ClevelandGuardians. This mailbag features questions and answers from the AMA, the full version of which can be read here. Questions and responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Any Trade Deadline rumors or predictions?

It's still somewhat early. The Deadline is a couple days later this year, on Aug. 3, and a lot can happen between now and then. Anecdotally, since the postseason field expanded to six spots per league in 2022, it has felt like stuff has gone down to the wire more because more teams are in the race, and the buy/sell lanes are less defined.

Here's what I think I think. The Guardians in the thick of the race, have a favorable strength of schedule the rest of the way (.473 entering play Thursday, second-lightest in MLB) and the American League appears wide open. We've seen Cleveland augment its roster and add around the margins in previous seasons, but could this be a year to make a big swing?

I look at the roster at Triple-A Columbus, which is full of guys knocking on the big league door. The Guardians have some prospect depth to potentially tap into if they want to add a piece to the big league roster. That doesn't mean they have to empty the system, obviously, but they have some assets to work with.

What, if any, is the internal concern with Steven Kwan?

I think the fact that they moved him out of the leadoff spot would tell you there was concern with how things were going. He's been a catalyst for them during his career, but has obviously struggled this year. He has had an uptick in production since being moved lower in the order (.201/.308/.258 slash line in 42 games before, .242/.360/.274 in 20 games after) and had a good series against the Rangers this past weekend, going 5-for-10.

With Kwan's track record, you hope he can find his way and continue trending upward this season, because the Guardians are at their best when he's at his best. I think that's where the immediate focus lies right now.

Who is the next man up from Triple-A?

Daniel Espino is set to get called up from Columbus before Friday's series opener against the Tigers. I'd expect Franco Aleman to get another opportunity sooner than later, and Andrew Walters is another option who could help the bullpen this summer. It's a bit tougher to forecast on the position player side because 1) There's a ton of guys you could point to, and 2) The biggest question is how the Guardians could fit them into their mix.

• Source: Guardians to call up former top prospect Espino

Columbus outfielder Kahlil Watson (the Guardians' No. 12 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and catcher Cooper Ingle (No. 3, No. 70 overall) seem to be knocking on the door. Ingle has begun playing outfield with the Clippers. That could create an additional pathway for him to reach the Majors. Overall, the Guardians need some of the guys who are already on the roster to get hot for the offense to get back on track. But with the recent struggles, giving someone in Triple-A a chance in the Majors is one lever you'd have to consider.

I'm not too far from the Lake County Captains' stadium and want to attend their games more regularly. Who are some of the guys down there that have you excited?

One cool thing about the Guardians is two of their Minor League affiliates are in shouting distance of Cleveland, and another is just a few hours south in Columbus. Definitely cool if you could get to games to see the next wave of guys.

Lake County's roster right now is fun. There are a bunch of guys from the Guardians' 2025 Draft class to keep tabs on: Jace LaViolette (first round), Aaron Walton (Competitive Balance Round B), Dean Curley (second), Nolan Schubart (third). A few pitchers that come to mind: Franklin Gómez (acquired from the Mets this past offseason), Braylon Doughty (No. 36 overall pick in the '24 Draft) and reliever Cam Schuelke (who is a ton of fun to watch as he throws from multiple arm slots).