Cade Smith Fantasy Stats

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith was tasked with shutting the door on Opening Day. Smith was called upon with a two-run lead in the ninth inning of Thursday's game versus the Seattle Mariners. He retired the side on 13 pitches while striking out one batter to earn his first save of the season. Smith took over the closer role last season following the departure of Emmanuel Clase due to legal troubles. The right-hander recorded a career-high 16 saves during the 2025 campaign. He should easily surpass that number as the clear-cut favorite for saves in Cleveland.

Cleveland Guardians right-handed reliever Cade Smith threw another scoreless inning in his Cactus League outing on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers and has not allowed a run or a hit with no walks and four strikeouts in his three innings of work in spring training. Smith needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the fifth inning on Thursday. With Emmanuel Clase now out of the picture in Cleveland for the closing role, Smith is the Guardians' go-to guy in the ninth inning, and he's quickly become a top-five closing target for fantasy managers. The 26-year-old Canadian hurler went 8-5 last year with a 2.93 ERA (1.95 FIP), 1.00 WHIP, a career-high 16 saves, 104 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 73 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Smith was one of only five relief pitchers to have 100-plus strikeouts in 2025. He's one of the best emerging high-leverage bullpen arms in baseball.

Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith has emerged as an elite source of saves in 2026, now sitting as the fourth-highest ranked reliever for the upcoming 2026 fantasy season at RotoBaller, just ahead of Andres Munoz, who registered 38 saves for Seattle a season ago. The right-hander has had a phenomenal first two seasons in the big leagues, amassing 103 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings as a reliever in 2024 with a 1.91 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, then followed it up with 104 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA (1.95 FIP) and 1.00 WHIP in 2025 while racking up 16 saves for the Guardians, 13 of which came after August 5 on the heels of the suspension of former closer Emmanuel Clase. Stepping in as the full-time closer in 2026, the 6-foot-5 Smith brings a 96.4 average fastball velocity with a 95th percentile whiff rate and 97th percentile strikeout rate to the role, on a team that won 88 games in '25 and should compete for a division crown once again. He won't be cheap on draft day, but with no indications of a slowdown on the horizon, the 26-year-old is rightfully not only one of the top relievers for fantasy, but he's also one of the top pitchers for fantasy regardless of role (starter or reliever).

With right-hander Emmanuel Clase out of the saves picture in Cleveland, Guardians right-handed reliever heads into the 2026 season as the team's likely closer. Smith took over for Clase in the middle of last season and finished out the year with a 2.93 ERA (1.95 FIP), 1.00 WHIP, a career-high 16 saves, 104 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 73 2/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen. He had earned 76.4% of the team's save share, and he was one of just five relievers in major-league baseball to strike out 100-plus batters. The 26-year-old has proven pretty dominant in high-leverage situations in his two MLB seasons in Cleveland, striking out 207 batters and walking 36 in 149 innings pitched. Smith relied mostly on his fastball to post a 28.3 K-BB percentage, which ranked sixth among all qualified relievers. His fantasy value has skyrocketed from last year to this year, and RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 5 fantasy reliever.

Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith (8-5) earned the win in a 3-2 nail-biter over the Texas Rangers on Saturday and helped his team clinch an improbable playoff berth. Smith entered in the top of the eighth and threw 1 2/3 perfect innings with one strikeout before the Guardians won on a walk-off hit by pitch in the bottom of the ninth. The Guardians were a seemingly insurmountable 15 1/2 games back of Detroit in the AL Central on July 6, but almost four months later, they'll have a chance to take the division on Sunday with a win or a Tigers loss. Cleveland is in this position thanks in part to Smith, who took over as its closer in late July after Major League Baseball placed two-time AL Reliever of the Year Emmanuel Clase on leave for a sports betting investigation. Smith has tallied 16 saves this season, including seven in September, and logged a 2.93 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP, 103 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 73 2/3 innings.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith notched his 12th save of the season in his team's 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit and striking out two. In 64 2/3 innings this season, Smith has converted 12 out of 17 save chances while pitching to a 3.20 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 90 strikeouts. The hard-throwing right-hander has been prone to the occasional blowup outing since taking over as Cleveland's closer, but he remains one of the better strikeout-generating relievers in baseball.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith was unable to shut the door on the Texas Rangers in a 4-3 loss on Friday. Smith came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead and proceeded to allow three straight hits, including a walk-off double by Joc Pederson. The 26-year-old picked up his fifth blown save and fell to 5-5 on the season. The normally effective Smith has now surrendered at least one earned run in three consecutive appearances and blown back-to-back saves. Considering Smith has been among the game's best high-leverage arms since he debuted in 2024, there's no reason to panic over his recent struggles. The right-hander still owns a 3.14 ERA (2.26 FIP) with a 1.13 WHIP, 77:19 K:BB, 19 holds, and seven saves in 57 1/3 innings this season.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith secured his sixth save of the season in Thursday's 9-4 win over the Marlins. It didn't look like he would be needed with a five-run lead heading into the ninth, but Nic Enright loaded the bases to create a save situation with one out remaining. Smith made quick work of the situation, needing five pitches to get Liam Hicks to line out. The 26-year-old has been dominant since taking over the closer role from Emmanuel Clase, as he's now up to nine consecutive scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and one walk in that span. He has always been one of the most dominant middle relievers in baseball, and should be viewed as a top-10 closer now that the job is his.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith earned his fifth win of the season in Tuesday's 4-3 game against the Marlins. Smith came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning with the game tied, two outs, and a runner on first. He got the third out on a strikeout and stayed in to pitch the ninth inning with a one-run lead, posting a 1-2-3 inning with no strikeouts. The 26-year-old has split save opportunities and high-leverage situations with Hunter Gaddis while Emmanuel Clase is being investigated for sports betting. Smith has pitched well all season, collecting five wins, five saves, and 19 holds to go with a 2.68 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a 12.41 K/9 rate in 53 2/3 innings of work. He should offer the most fantasy value out of the Guardians' bullpen down the stretch.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith (3-4) earned his third victory of the season in a 3-2 game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. Smith threw two scoreless innings, the ninth and the 10th, and allowed just one base runner on a hit by pitch. The right-hander struck out three and tallied 23 pitches. Smith has served as a setup man for the Guardians, but he figures to work as their closer for as long as Emmanuel Clase is out. Major League Baseball placed Clase on administrative leave Monday as part of a sports betting investigation. Smith has been outstanding since he made his debut last year, making him a qualified fill-in for Clase. The 26-year-old has a 3.00 ERA (2.05 FIP) with a 1.20 WHIP, 68:17 K:BB, 19 holds, and three saves over 48 innings this season.