The Cleveland Guardians had arguably the best closer in baseball with Emmanuel Clase. Across three seasons, from 2022 to 2024, Clase posted 40+ saves in 70+ innings and made the All-Star team each year. He looked like he was going to be one of the next greats in Guardians history.

Then 2025 came, and in the midst of another great season, news broke that he was being investigated for sports betting and money laundering. It was a charge that would see him and fellow pitcher Luis Ortiz suspended from the Guardians and formally charged by the United States government. 

This meant a replacement for the Guardians' best reliever would need to be found, a tall order for anyone; enter Cade Smith. To say Smith wasn't a full-time closer before he took over Clase's duties would be fair. Across his time in the minor league systems, he secured just 33 saves in 124 games.

He clearly could close out a game if he needed to, but it wasn't his primary duty. So it made sense to replace Clase with a guy who had some experience in the manner, but to expect him to match or even surpass his disgraced predecessor was a huge ask. 

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While he took over the duties to close out 2025, 2026 showed what he was capable of. Across the season, he was 41 for 46 in save opportunities in 74 innings pitched, with a stellar 1.95 ERA and 107 strikeouts. Those 41 saves were tied for the league high with Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker. Not only did he tie for the top of the Majors in saves, but according to StatMuse, that puts him fourth in the league in strikeouts among relievers, but it wasn't the relievers he held his ground with.

Among all Guardians pitchers, Smith was fifth, behind Gavin Williams, Parker Messick, Joey Cantillo, and Tanner Bibee. All of whom are starters and pitched at least 85 more innings than Smith.  

In fact, among all relievers with at least 20 innings pitched, only one reliever had a better strikeouts per nine innings compared to Smith, and that was Erik Sabrowski, whose rate was 14.2, compared to Smith's 13.0. Few relievers- heck, few starters- could truly match the brilliance and domination that Smith engineered as the team's everyday closer in 2026. 

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