Cade Smith finishes his first full season as Guardians closer with All-MLB honors

Cade Smith’s first full season as Cleveland’s closer ended with a major postseason-season award. The Guardians right-hander was selected to the 2026 All-MLB Team, marking his first career All-MLB selection and coming after another standout year running the late innings.

Smith took over the closer role in July 2025 when Emmanuel Clase was placed on leave. In 2026, he solidified himself as the Guardians’ top high-leverage option, including converting saves at a historic pace for Cleveland during the regular season.

He finished tied with Rays closer Bryan Baker for the Major League lead with 41 saves, converting 36 of his 41 opportunities. In the team’s franchise history, the total put him among the rare Cleveland pitchers to reach the 40-save mark.

Smith’s full-season run also included strong overall pitching metrics: a 1.95 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP across 74 innings in 69 appearances. He set a career high with 107 strikeouts, leading American League relievers and ranking tied for third among all relievers.

His usage was not limited strictly to the ninth inning. The Guardians reported he pitched more than one inning in 13 appearances, including a stretch late in the season where he struck out five batters over two scoreless innings on Sept. 6.

The All-MLB Team is voted on across the full regular season, with fans accounting for half of the voting and a panel of experts for the other half. First-time MLB All-Star Smith earned First Team honors, while Baker joined him on the Second Team and Mason Miller (Padres) and Louis Varland (Blue Jays) earned First-Team nods.