Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt described Cade Smith as "erratic" 11 games into the 2026 MLB season.
If there was any bright side to the Cleveland Guardians losing Emmanuel Clase at the end of July last season, it was that they already had another elite reliever ready to take on the ninth-inning duties.
After Clase’s unexpected departure, Cade Smith stepped into the Guardians closer role and was phenomenal through the final two months of the season, too. From the beginning of August through the end of September, Cade logged a 2.60 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, a strikeout rate of 38 percent, and 13 saves.
It was a no-brainer that Cade would be slated as Cleveland’s closer heading into 2026, but the first week and a half of the season have not been as smooth as he or the Guardians would’ve wanted.
Smith has appeared in six games and has already given up five earned runs (7.50 ERA) and has a 1.60 WHIP. He’s also throwing an average of 24 pitches per inning, up from his average of 16 pitches per inning from a year ago.
Stephen Vogt described Smith’s start to the season as “erratic.”
“He's not the pinpoint command and control that we're used to seeing from Cade,” explained Cleveland’s skipper on Sunday. “His stuff is still moving really good. The fastball is still one of the best pitches in baseball. Just the command and the control right now are a little bit off.”
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) and Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) celebrate their win over the Chicago Cubs during the home opening game against the Chicago Cubs, April 4, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.Even though Smith’s control isn’t where he wants it to be, Vogt emphasized that he and the Guardians are working on ways to fix it. Still, this is something Smith has been working through, going back to Cleveland’s training camp in Goodyear.
“He's aware of it. We're aware of it and he's working every day to get it back,” continued Vogt.
“He's kind of been fighting this kind of all spring, and he'll have nights where he goes out, and it's right there, and then other nights he's kind of fighting a little bit. But, the beauty with Cade is regardless of how he feels, he's getting the job done.”
The good news is that Cade’s command struggles haven’t hurt the Guardians, yet. Cleveland’s closer has still logged three saves on the season, but he’s just had to work a little harder than in past years to get them.
For example. in Cleveland's nightcap victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, Cade was credited with the save, but it took him 33 pitches to do it.
Given Cade’s history, the reliever deserves some time to figure out his command issues before ringing all of the alarm bells, but it’s something worth monitoring over the next few weeks.
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