MLB Network's reliever rankings shows how blessed Guardians fans are with Cade Smith

Last season, the long-term outlook of the Guardians’ bullpen changed overnight thanks to Emmanuel Clase being placed on paid leave as a part of a pitch rigging scheme that has likely resulted in him throwing his final pitch with the Guardians. 

For most teams, losing a Hall of Fame caliber reliever would be a death blow to their bullpen. But it was barely a blip for the Guardians thanks to Cade Smith, who dominated after taking over the closer role in the second half of the season. 

Now Smith is entering spring training as the Guardians’ clear No. 1 option for the ninth inning and also ranks as one of the best relievers in baseball. 

We got even more reinforcement of that thinking earlier this week when MLB Network released its list of the top 10 relievers in baseball, where he came in as the No. 4 reliever on the list behind Edwin Díaz, Mason Miller and Aroldis Chapman. 

Guardians’ Cade Smith ranks as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball 

While Smith’s counting stats took a bit of a hit last season compared to his fantastic rookie season in 2024, he was arguably even more valuable to the Guardians in 2025.

Last season Smith finished the year with a 2.93 ERA in 73 2/3 innings while striking out nearly 35% of the hitters he faced. 

After opening the season as the Guardians’ eighth inning man, he got his first taste of being a closer during a two-week stretch in April when Clase ran into some uncharacteristic struggles. He shifted back to a setup role after that, but was thrust into a full-time closer role at the end of July when Clase was placed on paid leave. 

Although he blew his first save opportunity in that time, he posted a 2.51 ERA in 28 2/3 innings in his final 29 appearances of the season before throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason. 

Smith’s dominance is even more impressive when you consider his approach. While he technically throws three pitches, he threw his fastball 70% of the time last year. Batters know what’s coming and still can’t hit it, which is the mark of any dominant reliever. 

Smith finished last season in the 98th percentile in expected ERA (2.51) along with being in the 97th percentile in strikeout rate (34.7%) and barrel rate (4%). The best relievers in baseball are the ones who are able to generate swing-and-miss, and Smith’s ability to do so is unparalleled. 

In fact, you could argue that’s better than the three pitchers ranked ahead of him. Miller has a 102 mile per hour fastball and cost the Padres one of the top prospects in baseball at the trade deadline, but he struggled in the first half last year and seems to always be flirting with the idea of going back to being a starting pitcher. 

Díaz and Chapman are clearly two of the top relief options in baseball, but they’re both deep into their careers and have dealt with injuries in their career. Meanwhile Smith is entering his third MLB season, is extremely durable and is due for a long-term extension. 

Smith’s one of baseball’s best, and is a tangible example of the Guardians’ bullpen dominance over the past couple seasons.