Cade Smith gets most of the attention, deservedly so, in the Cleveland Guardians bullpen. The closer is tied for the major league lead with 41 saves this season, and he has been one of the best relievers in the game during his three-year career.
Most of Smith’s first two seasons were spent as a setup man, so he knows how important that role can be. Fortunately, Cleveland has Hunter Gaddis available to take care of that.
The Guardians reliever’s consistency is becoming historic, as Gaddis is in the running to lead the majors in holds for a second straight year.
“One of the strongest parts of the Guardians, especially in September, has been the bullpen. Gaddis has been a big part of that. In Thursday’s clincher, he recorded the 100th hold of his career with a scoreless seventh inning to preserve a 1-0 lead. He is tied for the MLB lead with 32 holds this season after leading the AL with 35 holds in 2025,” Hoynes wrote.
Entering play Saturday, Gaddis is actually one hold behind Tyler Rogers of the Toronto Blue Jays and Kevin Kelly of the Tampa Bay Rays. Interestingly, Smith is tied with Rays closer Bryan Baker for the lead in saves.
Gaddis’ season was delayed by a sore right forearm that kept him sidelined until mid-April. Since then, he has again been a mainstay for manager Stephen Vogt.
After giving up two runs in an inning of work during a 12-9 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, Gaddis is 6-3 with one save and a 2.98 ERA in 68 appearances this season. In 60.1 innings, he has given up 55 hits with 57 strikeouts and 22 walks, and opponents are batting .241 against him.
They may not be awe-inspiring numbers, but there is no denying Gaddis’ importance to the Guardians, and to Smith, in particular. Having a strong late-inning tandem has allowed the rest of the relievers to settle into defined roles, and it has paid off with the sixth-best bullpen ERA in the majors and the second-fewest hits allowed. During the pennant race, they have a 2.37 ERA (27 earned runs in 102 1/3 innings) in September.
Cleveland has maintained a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central entering the final two games of the season. Any win by the Guardians against the Royals, combined with a loss by the White Sox to the Colorado Rockies, would give Cleveland the division title for a third straight year.
If and when that does happen, Gaddis should be recognized as a very important part of that effort.
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