It's Tuesday here at BCB After Dark: the boppin' home base for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the fall air. There's no cover charge. If you've got a coat, we can check that. There are still a couple tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night, I asked you if the Cubs should make a change to the pitching coaches. I think Tommy Hottovy and Casey Jacobson are glad you're not running the team, because 42 percent said "yes" and 38 percent of you said "no." The other twenty percent said it didn't make a difference either way.
On Tuesday nights, I don't do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and that time is now.
So I sort of lied when I said there would be no movies tonight, because I do have a clip from the 1936 film Pennies from Heaven. The film starred Bing Crosby, but the clip we have here is Louis Armstrong and his band performing "Skeletons in the Closet."
So here's a good classic to get you in the holiday mood. There's a little Bing Crosby in here too.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music.
So I was going to wait until the World Series was over to post tonight, but I don't think this Brewers/Rays game is never going to end. I guess it doesn't make much difference because even with a Rays win, the Brewers are overwhelming favorites to win it all.
So I thought I'd ask you about a trade candidate. The Cubs are looking at losing both of their corner outfielders to free agency, so they need to pick someone up to play right and left field if Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki don't return. The problem is that there aren't a lot of good free agent outfielders out there and the Cubs may prefer to stay away from making a major commitment to one anyways as Josiah Hartshorn and Kane Kepley are two of their best prospects and both may be knocking on the door for a major league job in 2028. Behind them are Caden Sorrell and Ethan Conrad, both of whom could also be good starting outfielders soon enough.
So maybe the trade market is the way to go. I found this article by Mark Feinsand on MLB dot com from last month and one name struck me as intriguing—the Guardians Steven Kwan. Kwan doesn't have much power. He had 14 and 11 home runs in 2024 and 2025, but he managed just three home runs last year and a .349 slugging percentage. However, Kwan does a lot of other things well. He makes a ton of contact and gets on base. Last year he had a career-high on-base percentage of .382. His strikeout percentage last year was a ridiculously low eight percent. He's an excellent defensive left fielder. He runs the bases OK, stealing ten bases in 13 attempts last year.
Looking at Kwan's Statcast page, you can see it's a matter of extremes.
Terrible bat speed, slugging and exit velocity. Elite launch angle, chase, whiff and walk rates. Elite defender.
So why would the Guardians want to trade Kwan? Simple. He's a free agent after this upcoming season. With this upcoming season in doubt, it makes sense for Cleveland to get something for Kwan rather than lose him to free agency. For the Cubs, that works out as Kwan wouldn't be blocking any of the Cubs outfield prospects.
It's hard to say what it would take for the Cubs to trade for Kwan. They definitely want someone cheap with years of control. Would it be worth it for the Cubs to trade Matt Shaw for him? Shaw has been disappointing, but he's still young and he still has room to grow. He's also very versatile and that's pretty valuable. But with the emergence of Pedro Ramírez, maybe the Cubs can afford to part with him more than a prospect like Harsthorn or Owen Ayers.
So if there was a proposed trade of Matt Shaw for Steven Kwan, who says no?
If you think Shaw is too much for Kwan, then propose your own deal in the comments.
Thank you for stopping by tonight. Let's hope we have more baseball soon. Get home safely. If you checked anything, let us get it for you now. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
