Cade

Smith

Smith has allowed five runs in his last two appearances. There were no velocity readings today, but he was fine in that department six days ago in an outing against the Rockies. Smith figures to remain one of baseball’s best relievers as a sophomore this season, but as a weaker bet for saves than most setup men, his fantasy value in shallow leagues is rather limited.

The deal is now official. Sewald provides Cleveland with some experienced high-leverage relief depth in a setup role ahead of elite stopper Emmanuel Clase. The 34-year-old veteran lost his grip on the closing role last year in Arizona during a second-half slide, but he represents a worthwhile low-risk gamble for the Guardians’ pitching apparatus. He’s compiled 84 saves in the big leagues since 2018 and would be the clear favorite over outstanding youngster Cade Smith to take over as Cleveland’s ninth-inning option should Clase wind up missing any time due to injury.

Gil received 15 out of 30 first-place votes, with 13 going to Colton Cowser, who narrowly finished in second place. Austin Wells finished third with Mason Miller, Cade Smith, Wilyer Abreu and Wyatt Langford also receiving votes in the AL ROY balloting. Gil delivered one of last season’s more unexpected breakthrough campaigns, emerging as a key component of New York’s starting rotation mix, finishing with a pristine 3.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 171/77 K/BB ratio across 151 2/3 innings (29 starts). The 26-year-old righty seems pre-destined to be one of the more polarizing pitchers in the fantasy landscape heading into 2025 drafts, but there’s a strong case for putting him somewhere in the top-40 range among starting pitchers.

Smith has blossomed into one of the best relievers in baseball this season, posting a microscopic 2.22 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 62/9 K/BB ratio across 44 2/3 innings (44 appearances). The unheralded 25-year-old righty made Cleveland’s season-opening roster and has reeled off six consecutive scoreless appearances since July 2. Per Lance Brozdowski of Marquee Sports Network, Smith gets a ton of extension on his fastball, which is causing it to play up relative to expectations, leading to an astronomical 36 percent strikeout rate.

Emmanuel Clase had the day off after pitching the previous three days. Scott Barlow would normally be next in line, but the Guardians decided against having him pitch for what would have been a third straight day. Smith is shaping up as an excellent reliever, having amassed a 2.01 ERA and a 32/7 K/BB in 22 1/3 innings. He still hasn’t given up a homer, either, though Francisco Lindor nearly had one off him today.

Myles Straw, who has already reportedly been placed on waivers, and Deyvison De Los Santos did not. The biggest surprise here is Smith, who lands the final spot in Cleveland’s bullpen, barring an unexpected late addition.

Smith had a 4.65 ERA in 40 2/3 innings after moving up to Triple-A last season, but that came with 66 strikeouts. He has a career 37% strikeout rate out of the pen since going unselected out of Hawaii in the five-round 2020 draft, and he could log some time in the Cleveland bullpen next season.