As the trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Dodgers are believed to be one of the teams prepared to make a massive splash. According to Travis Rodgers and D’Marco Farr of ESPN Los Angeles, the Cleveland Guardians would be the trade partners in this would-be league-altering deal.
The Dodgers are sitting at the top of the National League and have obvious reasons to be buying at the trade deadline, and Cleveland, while looking to get younger, are 4.5 games out of an ultra competitive American League Wild Card spot and 11 games back from the top spot in their division.
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Right off the bat, Rodgers reports on his show that the idea of an Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan trade from Cleveland has been “whispered about.”
Clase is a three-time All-Star who led all of MLB in saves in 2022 and 2023, and finished second in total saves last season, although still leading the American League with his career-high of 47.
Kwan is not just one of the best contact hitters in baseball, but is also a left fielder who can provide much more production in that role than Michael Conforto currently does on both offense and defense.
Whispers about Clase AND Kwan to the Dodgers?
Trav thinks the package could be too much. John thinks it’s not enough. pic.twitter.com/P9fz5Sbocf
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) July 16, 2025
As for what a potential return would look like, Rodgers seemed to assert that the package might be too valuable as it concerns pieces that many believe are future leaders of the Dodgers.
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Rodgers threw out names like southpaw Justin Wrobleski, right-hander Ben Casparius, top prospect Josue De Paula, and even an additional prospect for this would-be blockbuster. Catcher Dalton Rushing, right-hander Dustin May, and even fan-favorite Hyeseong Kim were others that the hosts claimed could theoretically be included in this deal.
Although this would be a gut-wrenching move for the young pieces of the Dodgers, both Clase and Kwan are 27 years old with at least two years of team control or arbitration years left. Clase has a club option in both 2027 and 2028 while Kwan has a pair of arbitration years before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2028.
A deal like this would only be performed if the Dodgers were absolutely certain that Kwan and Clase could deliver not just success this October, but multiple rings, in order for this to not look like the heist of the century for Cleveland.
With that being said, this doesn’t exactly feel like the right time for the Dodgers to rid themselves of pitching depth in a time when so many are on the injured list. If a deal for these players did find it’s way through, the Dodgers would likely find a way to keep their most-coveted prospect and perhaps another arm in the organization.
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