Why closer Robert Suarez would be the perfect Emmanuel Clase replacement

The Cleveland Guardians have some decisions to make this offseason.

And one of the main ones is what to do at the closer position.

The organization got the unfortunate news at the tail end of July that All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave as a part of the league's investigation into illegal sports betting. His immediate removal from the diamond led to the Guardians attempting to turn to various other arms out of the bullpen to fill his void.

While some did alright, including Cade Smith, the front office's eyes should be turned towards free agency. With numerous high-level arms, Cleveland should be looking to make a new addition to the organization and provide a late-game spark out of the bullpen.

And one guy in particular stands out the most.

The San Diego Padres received the unfortunate news that closer Robert Suarez, who led the National League with 40 saves in the 2025 season, has opted out of his player option to declare for free agency. His player option came in at $16 million over the course of two seasons.

Instead, Suarez will look to get a big payday as a free agent and test his worth.

He's considered to be one of the best closers in all of baseball right now, consistently competing with Clase for that top honor in recent years.

Since being bumped up to the major league game in the 2022 season at age 31, Suarez has been a realiable pitcher for the Padres. Across his four seasons with the ball club, he's pitched in 210 innings and led the team to 22 wins. He's made 77 saves with an ERA of 2.91, including 219 strikeouts.

In the last two seasons alone, he's been at the top of his game, recording 76 of his 77 career saves with a 13-9 record. His pWAR came in at 2.0 in 2024 and 2.3 in 2025, placing him in the top percentile of closing pitchers in the MLB.

For reference, Clase's was at an extremely high 4.4 in 2024 before dropping down greatly to 0.7 in 2025.

Before Clase was placed on leave, he was struggling on the diamond for Cleveland. He had a 3.32 ERA and 25 saves through 47 1/3 innings. His primary struggles occurred in April, but he still showed a slight decline in productivity following his end-of-season collapse in the 2024 MLB postseason.

Across 360 innings, Clase has an incredible 1.88 ERA. However, with no clear-cut decision coming in the near future from the league, his future in the MLB is looking like it may be coming to a close.

Picking up a player like Suarez gives the Guardians time to develop or seek out a long-term solution at the closer position while the 34-year-old locks it down in the meantime. He can be reliable, especially in tight-knit, high-intensity situations.

No matter if it's Clase, Suarez or someone else who ends up on the diamond on Opening Day for the 2026 season, the Guardians need to make sure whoever it is can lock down and finish games.