Guardians Pitcher Ranked Among Top-10 MLB Relievers

The Cleveland Guardians are still dealing with the loss of star closer Emmanuel Clase, who may have thrown his last pitch in the MLB due to his gambling allegations. Without him in the mix, this bullpen is still working through the pecking order and learning how to replace arguably the game’s best finisher, but there is reason for optimism heading into the 2026 season.

Luckily, the Guardians had someone ready to step into the closer role who was able to step up and do his best to make sure there wasn’t a massive drop-off in Clase’s absence. That pitcher recently found himself ranked among the best in the game, and it’s possible that he’ll make these fans forget about Clase completely this year.

MLB Network recently ranked the top ten relievers in baseball, and the Guardians were well represented. Young closer Cade Smith was ranked at No. 4.

“Here are the best relievers right now, according to The Shredder,” MLB Network posted on X.

Here are the best relievers right now, according to The Shredder! #Top10RightNow pic.twitter.com/88jl1RLZXT

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 11, 2026

The 26-year-old Smith has immediately emerged as a weapon for Cleveland and now has a 2.42 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP over 150 appearances in his two years in the big leagues. In each of his two seasons, he has posted over 100 strikeouts with fewer than 20 walks and stepped into the closer’s role fairly seamlessly after Clase was exiled.

Aroldis Chapman, Mason Miller, and Edwin Diaz are the only three relievers ranked higher than Smith on the list, which is fair. Hopefully, Smith sees this list and feels a bit slighted and can bump his game up another level in 2026.

His ERA increased from 1.91 as a rookie to 2.93, so there is certainly room for him to improve this coming season. The bigger questions are related to the bridge leading up to Smith, as he was an excellent setup man for Clase, but with him stepping into the closer role, somebody else has to step up to fill the void left behind due to him vacating his setup role.

Congrats to Smith on making this list, and perhaps next year he can bump his way up to No. 1.