Cade Smith’s breakout season keeps collecting recognition. The Cleveland Guardians closer has already been named an All-Star, an AL Reliever of the Year finalist and the Cleveland writers’ Bob Feller Man of the Year this season. On Wednesday night, Major League Baseball added another honor when it announced its annual All-MLB teams, which recognize the best players at every position across both leagues. Smith landed a spot among the best relievers in the sport.
“RHP Cade Smith receives Second Team All MLB honors,” Cleveland Guardians posted.
RHP Cade Smith receives Second Team All-MLB honors. 👏#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/h8xB7FzmvP
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) November 12, 2026
It is easy to see why. Smith went 6-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 69 appearances, striking out 107 batters in 74 innings. His 41 saves tied for the most in the American League, and he became just the seventh pitcher in franchise history to reach 40 saves in a season. He finished the year with 2.9 WAR, an outstanding number for a reliever.
He was at his best in the biggest moments. In September, as Cleveland chased down the White Sox for the AL Central title, Smith pitched in 11 of the team’s 25 games and did not allow a run all month. Opponents hit just .073 against him. He was nearly as good in October, striking out 14 batters in 11 1/3 postseason innings and recording a four-out save in Game 3 of the ALCS.
The strikeouts have been there from the start of his career. Smith has now topped 100 strikeouts in each of his first three big league seasons, and Boston’s Dick Radatz is the only other pitcher in history to do that while working exclusively in relief. Over three seasons, Smith owns a 2.26 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 314 strikeouts in 223 innings. His splitter has developed into one of the most unhittable pitches in baseball.
His path to this point makes the honors even more meaningful. Smith grew up in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and the Minnesota Twins drafted him out of high school in 2017, but he chose to pitch at the University of Hawaii instead. When the 2020 draft was cut to five rounds, he went unselected, and Cleveland signed him as a free agent. He was the last player to make the Opening Day roster in 2024, and he struck out five batters over two hitless innings in his big league debut against Oakland.
Now the 27-year-old is one of the most valuable relievers in the game, and his price is about to go up. Smith is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and remains under team control through 2029. That gives Cleveland several more years with one of the best closers in baseball anchoring the back of the bullpen.
The Guardians leaned on Smith heavily all season, and he never let them down. Being named to the All-MLB team is one more sign that the rest of the baseball world has taken notice.
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