Could Steve Kwan Be The Yankees New Lead-off Guy?

I mean dude, I say yes!

Look, what happens if Trent Grisham packs his bags and waves goodbye to the Yankees? Well, then we’re staring at a classic Bronx conundrum: who the heck bats leadoff?

One thing’s for sure — it absolutely cannot be Austin Wells. Remember that unhinged spring-training chat with Aaron Boone where someone floated Wells as a potential table-setter? Boone practically nodded like he’d just discovered fire. It was adorable… and horrifying. Wells at leadoff would be a baseball death sentence. You can’t have a guy hitting .219 walk up first and pretend that’s strategy.

And no, it’s not Anthony Volpe either. Look, once upon a time — sight unseen — I might’ve tossed him up there just to see if his “gritty undersized shortstop” energy would magically turn him into 2009 Dustin Pedroia. Spoiler: it did not. Turns out he and Wells share the same offensive superpower: being wildly overrated for reasons no one can explain.

So who’s left? Ben Rice? Honestly, I can see it. The kid can hit, he’s got a pulse, and he runs better than anyone else they’ve shoved behind the plate lately. But if the Yankees want to stop embarrassing themselves and actually improve the top of the lineup? There’s another name they should be tripping over themselves to acquire:

Steven. Freaking. Kwan.

This is the kind of player Cashman should’ve been drooling over years ago — not the latest “three-true-outcomes-but-mostly-strikeouts” experiment they keep dragging in like it’s a hobby. Kwan has won a Gold Glove in every single season he’s played, which already makes him the Yankees’ best outfielder the moment he puts on the jersey. He hits for contact, he gets on base, he works counts, he doesn’t strike out like he’s auditioning for a windmill festival — and for reasons no one saw coming, the man has actually developed a little pop.

Basically: he’s everything the Yankees haven’t had since Brett Gardner stopped yelling at dugout water coolers.

And let’s be real — this lineup needs someone who can start innings, not just end them with moonshots. New York led MLB with 274 homers. Great. Congrats. Hang a banner that says “We Hit Solo Shots And Lose Anyway.” What they didn’t have was a consistent table-setter — someone to actually manufacture runs.

Kwan is that guy.

Then there’s the defense. Jasson Dominguez spent most of the season patrolling left field like he was searching for hidden treasure instead of fly balls. It was rough. Real rough. Kwan shows up, and suddenly left field goes from “crime scene” to “competent.” Meanwhile, Dominguez can take his time, develop properly, and not have to make 11 diving attempts per game.

And with the likely return of Cody Bellinger (assuming Brian Cashman decides to do something productive for once), plus Spencer Jones knocking on the door like a hungry Rottweiler, Kwan fits perfectly. He stabilizes everything. He deepens the lineup. He fixes the outfield. He makes Boone’s job easier, which is honestly a public service at this point.

If the Yankees have any sense left in that front office — big “if” — Kwan is exactly the kind of piece they should be chasing.