Cade Smith has helped solve Guardians’ biggest bullpen issue (but problems remain) 

On Wednesday, Cade Smith closed out the Guardians’ 3-1 win over the Royals in classic Cade Smith fashion. 

First he struck out Salvardo Perez on a splitter that disappeared as soon as it reached the plate. Then he got Kyle Isbel looking on a 97 mile per hour fastball that just nicked the bottom of the strike zone. 

And finally, he got Issac Collins to strike out looking on a 96 mph fastball that was in the perfect spot. 

While he did allow a softly hit single to Vinnie Pasquantino (expected batting average of .220), it was another dominant outing from Smith, who seems to have shaken off the problems that plagued him earlier in the year. 

But that won’t mean as much if the Guardians aren’t able to figure out a way for their bullpen to get to him unscathed. 

The Guardians need more out of the depth arms in their bullpen

And, to their credit, the other guys in the bullpen answered the call on Wednesday with three scoreless innings ahead of Smith’s dominant ninth inning. 

That kind of outing hasn’t been the norm, however, as the Guardians enter play today with a bullpen ERA of 4.03. That may not be the worst mark in the league, but it’s still a bit of an underwhelming result considering it was the one position the front office upgraded in the offseason. 

Part of the reason for that inflated ERA has been the amount of mixing and matching that manager Stephen Vogt has had to do. Erik Sabrowski stepped in to fill Hunter Gaddis’ shoes (2.25 ERA), Tim Herrin seems to have re-found in 2024 form (10 1/3 scoreless innings) and Smith has shaken off his early-season struggles (0.87 ERA in last 10 1/3 innings), but the results from everyone else have been kind of middling. 

New additions Peyton Pallette and Connor Brogdon have had some struggles after starting the season hot, and Shawn Armstrong wasn’t doing much better before he went on the injured list. 

The new addition who has pitched the best so far this season has been Colin Holderman, but all of his success has come working in a bulk role after being sent to Triple-A in the first week of the season. 

As a result, Matt Festa has recorded a team-high 18 innings out of the bullpen. While Festa is better than he gets credit for, having him work as your main high-leverage arm isn’t ideal. 

Perhaps the best way things could get better would be a return to form for Gaddis, who has posted a 8.53 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. He likely still isn’t 100% after he missed the beginning of the season with forearm tightness, so it seems like he’s at a point where he’s pitching his way back into form. 

The good news for the Guardians is that they’ve (mostly) gotten enough length from their starting pitching to make the conversation a moot point. 

Although they were forced into action a bit earlier than usual last night thanks to Joey Cantillo’s struggles in his third time through the order (.353 batting average against), Gavin Williams and Parker Messick have both gone at least five innings in all their starts this season and have largely put the bullpen in a position to win. 

No team is going to be perfect for all 162 games, but the Guardians don’t have the kind of roster that can afford long-term struggles from their bullpen. Wednesday was a clear step in the right direction, but they’re going to need that on a more consistent basis if they want to be a true contender. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow