CLEVELAND -- Steven Kwan’s phone lit up with an incoming call from Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti shortly before 6 p.m. ET on Thursday. Given that the MLB Trade Deadline was mere minutes away, you can understand what Kwan felt at that moment.
“It was, like, nine minutes before,” Kwan said. “My heart dropped when I saw it, expecting something.”
Kwan’s name had been a fixture on the rumor mill this week, leading up to the Deadline, but Antonetti was calling with reassuring news.
“I'm sure [Antonetti] knew the magnitude of what that could have entailed,” Kwan said. “And he was just like, ‘You can rest easy. We're not gonna make any moves with you. I just wanted you to know before the Deadline ended,’ because sometimes [trades] process after too.
“So he was like, ‘I don't want you to just be in the dark about that.’ So that was really nice of him, and I appreciate that.”
Kwan is still in Cleveland, and he came up big in his first game post-Deadline. Kwan went 2-for-5 in the Guardians’ 3-2 win over the Twins in 10 innings on Friday at Progressive Field. His bunt single in the 10th helped set up Kyle Manzardo’s walk-off single.
While Antonetti’s call more than 24 hours earlier provided Kwan reassurance, the 27-year-old found ways to keep his mind free of potential stressors on Thursday that could come from uncertainty surrounding the Deadline, which landed on an off-day for the Guardians.
Kwan hosted a youth baseball camp at League Park on Thursday. It was a rainy day in Cleveland, however, and the camp had to pivot a bit because they couldn't do baseball activities outside given the weather.
Instead, Kwan greeted the kids in attendance, which he estimated to be around half of the 250 who signed up. Some could not make it due to the weather.
“The camp was fun. It was a nice way to keep my mind off of things,” Kwan said. “The rain was a super bummer. I felt bad. I heard that there were some out-of-state kids, so that was kind of a bummer that it got rained out. But it was cool. It was a good way to keep my mind off things.”
Kwan took photos with the campers who stuck around and answered questions. Some, naturally, were wondering if he was going to be on the move. Kwan told them the truth: He would find out when they did.
While the looming possibility of a trade coming on the same day of the camp created an interesting situation, Kwan understood that the Deadline and the rumblings that come with it are just part of baseball.
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“I don't think any of it's personal,” Kwan said. “I know it's not personal. That's just kind of what we do, and we signed up for this kind of stuff. I think that maybe emboldened me to make sure I spent time with all the kids and made sure they got something out of it.”
Kwan knew whatever would happen was out of his control, and he inevitably would learn his status by the time the Deadline hit. He and his wife, Samantha, hung out at home in the afternoon. They did some laundry in case he was traded, and given he wasn’t, Kwan noted they’re ahead on it for the Guardians’ upcoming road trip to New York to face the Mets.
The two-time All-Star was back atop the Guardians’ starting lineup on Friday, hitting leadoff and playing left field. Kwan knew that would be the case on Thursday night, after Guardians manager Stephen Vogt reached out to him after the Deadline passed to check in.
“It’s amazing, even just texting with him last night,” Vogt said. “Kwany is a huge part of us, and he's a huge part of Cleveland. I’m pumped that he's here. You never know, like we talked about. It's rumors. You don't know it until it's true. And we're just happy that Kwany is here.”
Kwan singled in the first inning on Friday and scored moments later on a José Ramírez RBI single. He picked up his MLB-leading 10th outfield assist in the third by throwing out Brooks Lee at the plate.
The Guardians (55-54) have an opportunity to make a push for the postseason as they enter the stretch run, and Kwan is glad to be a part of it. He received a warm reception Friday as he stepped up for his first plate appearance.
"It was really special,” Kwan said. “I love this city, love this organization. Love everything that they've offered me. I just really want to win for them and get in the postseason. And once you get in, anything can happen. So I think that's our mission right now."