Steven Kwan contract buzz intensifies after Guardians’ $48,000,000 commitment to 2025 Opening Day starter

Having been handed his major league debut in April 2022, left fielder Steven Kwan has quickly become one of the Cleveland Guardians' most reliable players. The left-handed hitter enjoyed a stellar 2024 season, earning his first All-Star selection and his third consecutive Gold Glove award.

Another Guardians player who enjoyed a standout 2024 campaign was starting pitcher Tanner Bibee, who finished the regular season with a 12-8 record, a 3.47 ERA and 187 strikeouts, establishing himself as the ace of the AL Central winners' pitching staff.

On Saturday, the Guardians announced on Instagram that Bibee had extended his stay at Progressive Field. According to reports, the 26-year-old has agreed to a five-year, $48 million deal, keeping him in Cleveland through the 2029 season.

Plenty of fans commented on the Guardians' Instagram post, urging the organization to also extend Steven Kwan.

"Gotta extend kwan now," a fan wrote.

"Great! Now please extend Kwan 🥺," another fan commented

"KWAN NEXT," another fan replied.

Screenshot of fans' comments on the Cleveland Guardians' Instagram post (Image from - Instagram.com/@cleguardians)

"Now do Kwan. What are you waiting on?" another fan shared.

"Extend my glorious King Kwan next," another fan posted.

"KWAN NEXT ASAP!!!" another fan commented.

Screenshot of fans' comments on the Cleveland Guardians' Instagram post (Image from - Instagram.com/cleguardians)

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Steven Kwan opens up on the importance of mental strength as a pro baseball player

Speaking to host Nick Adgar on the "No Agenda" podcast on Wednesday, March 12, Steven Kwan discussed how important mental strength is in a sport like baseball, where failure is common, especially for hitters.

"Baseball obviously needs some talent, but it's a mental game. ... I firmly believe baseball is one of the hardest mental sports to be part of," Kwan said (39:50 onwards). "Nobody fails as often as we do on a daily basis, and are expected to show up the next day and do the same thing.

"That could beat somebody down. You need a tool to be able to filter that and be able to move to the next day. I think that's why it's so important (to be mentally strong), because it can manifest into something really nasty down the road, if you're not handling it every day."

Kwan had a stellar season in 2024, finishing with a .292 batting average, along with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. He earned his first All-Star selection and third career Gold Glove.