The Orioles outfield was a problem during the 2026 season. Their 3.9 fWAR as a unit ranked 22nd in MLB, and nearly half of that (1.9 fWAR) is attributed to the long-departed Taylor Ward. Some internal solutions may exist, like moving infielders to the outfield, according to team president of baseball operations Mike Elias. But no matter how many deck chairs they move around, the group seems destined to sink again without external help.
The free agent market does have some interesting options. Seiya
Suzuki is probably the top fish, coming off a career-best year but now entering his age-32 season. Randy Arozarena bounced back these last two years in Seattle, and he certainly knows the AL East. Ian Happ is another proven, solid player that could fit. However, outside of the Pete Alonso contract signed last year, Elias has avoided giving big money to “older” free agents, though any thing is possible.
The Orioles did a lot of their shopping in the trade market last year. Ward was acquired from the Angels. Shane Baz came over from the Rays. Blaze Alexander was snatched from the Diamondbacks. And they re-acquired Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs. That could be the avenue to find even better outfield help this offseason, and no other trade target fits what the Orioles need better than Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
Kwan’s 2026 season was a tale of two halves. He was bad (.225/.332/.282) prior to the all-star break, and then caught fire (.353/.443/.432) in the second half. That helped him to be worth 3.8 fWAR on the year, nearly equaling the value of all 14 players that stepped foot in the outfield for the Orioles last season.
Adding Kwan would finally give the Orioles the lead-off hitter that have seemed to lack for a few years now. Players that batted first for the Orioles in 2026 hit a combined .226/.310/.345 in the role. Finding someone that can more adequately set the table has to be a priority. Kwan played 105 games as the Guardians lead-off hitter this past year. He hit .278/.376/.347 in the role. Over his entire career he owns a .282/.355/.385 slash line atop the order.
What you do not get with Kwan at the plate is power. He hit just three home runs last year, though he had hit 11 and 14 in the two seasons before that, so double-digit dongs are within reach. But that should not be the expectation. Instead, it’s an old school approach that limits strikeouts and gets on base. Kwan struck out just 62 times last season against 85 walks. His 9.7% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate are both among the game’s elite.
A quick skim of Kwan’s Baseball Savant page shows exactly what you would expect. This is not a player with eye-popping exit velocities or hard-hit rates. But his success is no fluke. His .282 batting average is only slightly higher than his .277 expected batting average. The same is true for his .334 wOBA and .328 xwOBA. He hits the ball where no one is, and he forces pitchers to throw him strikes. The Orioles could use some of that influence in the lineup.
It should be noted that Kwan has not been the most consistent hitter from season to season. Since his rookie year, his wRC+ has oscillated in this fashion: 125, 99, 130, 98, 114. That can be read as him being at least an average hitter year in and year out, and with some of the other things he does well, he is still a net positive. His impact on the lineup, however, varies.
The other aspect of Kwan’s game that would greatly help the Orioles is his defense. Kwan has already won four Gold Gloves and was a finalist for another in 2026. His six outs above average in 2026 was in the 90th percentile of all fielders, according to Baseball Savant.
The Orioles, as a team, were worth -9 outs above average in the outfield, and that included a really good defensive season from Colton Cowser (10 OAA). The rest of the unit was atrocious. A duo of Kwan and Cowser would be a good starting point for an elite defensive outfield.
One negative of a potential acquisition of Kwan is that he would not be a long-term solution. The 29-year-old is set to become a free agent after the 2027 season. Maybe he would be open to a contract extension, something that the Guardians rarely give out, but oftentimes players this close to free agency would rather test the open market.
The cost to acquire Kwan would likely be quite steep. The Guardians won the AL Central in 2026 and came within one game of going to the World Series. They don’t have to sell. Plus, given the relatively thin outfield free agent class, any other team in need of outfield help is likely to be interested in Kwan too. The Orioles would have to come with a hefty offer.
In order to acquire Ward, a player less valuable overall than Kwan but still on an expiring contract, from the Angels a year ago it cost the Orioles four years of Grayson Rodriguez. The Guardians would want more for Kwan. That type of deal probably includes at least one major league-ready outfielder (maybe Enrique Bradfield Jr.), plus another one or two more intriguing prospects.
The Orioles absolutely have to address their outfield issues this winter. Moving an infielder out there could help to solve part of the problem, but it would lack the certainty that comes with accquiring a known veteran for the role. Maybe the team simply ends up doing both.
