The Cleveland Guardians have long been known for having one of the best bullpens in baseball. That remained true in 2026, and it was closer Cade Smith who held one of the best reliever cores in MLB together.

Cleveland’s All-Star pitcher is getting some national recognition for the extraordinary season he put together. On Monday night, Smith was named a finalist for the American League Reliever of the Year. It’s the first time that the award is being handed out.

The other finalists that Smith is going up against are Tampa Bay Rays’ Bryan Baker and Toronto Blue Jays’ Louis Varland.

Cleveland’s pitcher isn’t just a finalist to win the award, but there’s also a strong case that Cade should be taking home the hardware when the winner is announced later this month.

In Cade’s first full season as Cleveland’s closer, he ended up with 41 saves, which tied with Baker. The Guardians’ pitcher’s ERA (1.95) and WHIP (0.96) were also slightly higher than Tampa Bay’s closer's.

That said, Cade also pitched over 12 innings more and had four more appearances than Baker, so it would make sense that some of his numbers were a little higher.

Smith’s advanced metrics are hard to beat, too. He ranked in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate, 97th percentile in whiff rate, and the 81st percentile in chase rate. Cade’s 107 strikeouts were the most in the American League, and by a wide margin, too.

A reliever’s job is to get outs and limit base runners, and that’s exactly what Smith did for the Guardians all season long.

Cade has been one of baseball’s best relievers ever since he debuted at the start of the 2024 season. However, he never got the recognition that he deserved because he wasn’t Cleveland’s go-to pitcher in the ninth inning.

Now, Smith is on everyone’s radar. Not only is he a finalist for this award, but the 27-year-old was also named an All-Star for the first time in his career earlier this year.

It’s clear at this point: Smith is a superstar pitcher, whether he wins the award or not.

Cade Smith isn’t the only pitcher up for one of MLB’s major awards. Earlier in the evening, Parker Messick was named a finalist for both the American League Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Award.

Between Messick and Smith, the Guardians are proving through these awards that Cleveland has one of baseball's best all-around pitching staffs.