The Cleveland Guardians just got a wave of good news.

On Monday, Nov. 2, news broke that two pitchers were finalists for prestigious end-of-season awards. Starting pitcher Parker Messick, who put together a phenomenal rookie campaign, was listed as one of three arms in the running for the American League Cy Young Award. He was also a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award, joining Peyton Tolle and Kevin McGonigle.

But it wasn't just Messick who made a big impact for the Guardians in 2026.

Closer Cade Smith, who was in his first year as the Guardians' full-time closer, was named a finalist for the AL Reliever of the Year award. His competition is Tampa Bay Rays' Bryan Baker and Toronto Blue Jays' Louis Varland

If a Guardians fan from 2024 had a time machine and jumped ahead to 2026. They would be wildly confused. That's because back in 2024, and two years prior in 2022, then-Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase had won the award.

And now, Clase is no longer in the league.

But fortunately, the switch from Clase to Smith had little impact on the Guardians' ability to finish off opponents.

Not a Drop in Sight

Appearing in 69 games with 60 games finished, Smith, at 27 years old, posted a remarkable 1.95 ERA, a 0.959 WHIP and a Major League-best 41 saves. He only gave up 16 earned runs the entire season, all while striking out 107 batters.

Such success wasn't surprising, especially considering he was elite in both 2024 and 2025, but jumping from a regular/late-game relief role to being the full-time closer, practically out of the blue, concerned many.

But Cleveland's coaching staff, combined with Smith's stoic presence on the mound, gave him all the tools to succeed.

When compared to Clase, there wasn't a drop-off, which was a huge sigh of relief.

In 2025, Clase actually struggled greatly, posting a measly 3.23 ERA across 48 games. He also gave up an awful lot of traffic on the base paths, all while striking out a career-low 47 batters.

Smith picked up the reins of the last guy out of the bullpen nicely. Cleveland couldn't have gotten a better fit.

Timing Sure is Something

The day that Smith was announced as a finalist for one of baseball's most prestigous pitching awards, Clase took the headlines as well.

Unfortunately, his reasoning wasn't as positive.

Trial proceedings began at the Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, N. Y., for his and Luis Ortiz's four criminal counts related to pitch rigging as a part of a sports betting conspiracy, according to The Athletic's Sam Blum.

Clase and Ortiz, both former Guardians, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted on all counts, they could face up to 65 years.

Both have denied the allegations.

But to see the difference in Clase's and Smith's careers at this point in time is a grim reminder of how quickly things can change.

And for Smith, looking ahead at a potential AL Reliever of the Year award just weeks after pitching in the American League Championship Series, things look vastly different, in a better way, than they did just north of a year ago.