Cleveland Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt Defends Cade Smith's Early-Season Struggles

While the Cleveland Guardians are off to a good start to the 2026 season, there has been talk that Cade Smith’s job as the Guardians' closer might be in jeopardy.

While that's primarily outside noise from those not closely associated with the organization, if there are any worries on his mind, Smith should just listen to one voice, and that is manager Stephen Vogt.

"Cade is a little erratic," Vogt said. "It's not the pinpoint command and control that we're used to seeing from Cade. His stuff is still moving forward really well. The fastball is still one of the best pitches in baseball. Just the command and the control right now are a little bit off. He's aware of it. We're aware of it. And he's working every day to get it back."

While Vogt doesn’t seem worried, statistically, Smith has struggled in three out of six appearances so far to begin the 2026 campaign. His first blunder came in a blown save in game two of the opening series versus the Seattle Mariners, and the latest was the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs.

In the game against the Cubs, he struggled with his command, throwing a season high 33 pitches in the ninth, before collecting his third save in four chances.

However, even with the ups and downs he's had, fans need to remain calm; Smith is only 26 years old, entering his third major league season and just his first full season as the Guardians' main closer. Halfway through 2025, he had to take over for Emmanuel Clause following the All-Star break in 2025 due to suspension. Smith went on to total 16 saves and 104 strikeouts last year.

Easter Sunday Issues For Smith

On Sunday, Smith entered the game with a two-run lead and struck out the first batter he faced, Moises Ballesteros.

He went on to walk the next two batters, then surrendered an RBI single to Ian Happ. With runs at second and third and a full count to Carson Kelly, Smith demonstrated the exact trait a successful closer needs, which is determination. A high fastball got Kelly to swing at strike three.

While he faced some adversity, he was able to fight through what was in front of him to close out the game.

"Yeah, and we can call it a bump...," Vogt said. "He's done his job. It may not be 3-up, 3-down and super clean, but he's still finishing games for us, and that's all we ask him to do. But the other side of that is he's been one of the top five relievers in baseball for two years. Teams are going to start to really dive in and try to figure things out.

"So, we know we have to keep getting ahead of it. Cade knows that, and he's working very, very hard."

There is still plenty of time for Smith to continue to settle into the 2026 campaign. He has a track record of success, and being so young, it won't always be consistent, but the Cade Smith Cleveland knows and loves will return in due time.