Cade Smith, the man whose heart rate never changes, is ready to start the season as the Guardians’ primary closer. Smith took over as the closer last year when Emmanuel Clase was banished on July 26 while Major League Baseball launched an investigation alleging Clase rigged pitches to benefit bett ors wagering on prop bets. Clase, who led the Majors in saves every year from 2022-24, remains on the restricted list. “It’s an honor to have people say that, right?” Smith said on a recent Zoom conference from Goodyear, Ariz., where the Guardians are stationed for spring training.  “And if my name should be called in that situation, I would be honored, and so I have to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to live up to that request. “So that goes with how I’ve been working since the fall of last year, making sure the threads that I was carrying on through the end of the year that I’m still aware of them, still handling them well, but also being in constant communication with the staff and putting the work in to continue to build, to try and always take steps forward and learn and develop. I want to make sure that my preparation is something that I have complete confidence in.” Smith saved 16 games in 2025. He posted six saves in August while also posting four wins and one loss. The Guardians won 20 games in September. Smith saved seven of them and won two others. Neither manager Stephen Vogt nor president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti ever used the word “betrayed” to describe how Clase left them in a lurch with his alleged misdeeds, but that is exactly what happened. The Guardians did not add any bats to bolster the lineup in the offseason. But they did add arms to the bullpen by signing Shawn Armstrong, Colin Holderman and Connor Brogdon. Peyton Pallette was claimed in the Rule 5 draft from the White Sox. Inserting Smith as the closer means someone else has to fill his role in the seventh or eighth innings. Smith and Hunter Gaddis for the last two seasons were a lethal combination to get to Clase. Gaddis is ready to assume his role. One of the additions will have to take up the slack. “I think (the additions in the bullpen) are good,” Gaddis said on a Zoom call. “We’ve had people in and out every year. It’s panning out pretty well for us. They picked a good group of guys to go out there for 162 games.” Smith appeared in 74 games as a rookie in 2024 and 76 last season. Gaddis’ numbers were similar — 78 in 2024 and 73 last year. Vogt wants to lighten their workload in Cactus League games to preserve their arms as much as possible for what the Guardians hope is a deep playoff run. “I absolutely understand the wisdom of moderation there,” Smith said. “They’ve said that this is an open conversation. How can we best plan and balance things to make sure that I’m ramped up on time and ready to go, but also walking that fine line, not doing too much.” The Guardians eliminated the Tigers in five games of the ALDS and were eliminated by the Yankees in five games in the ALCS in 2024. Gaddis pitched in eight of the 10 games. He pitched in all three of the wild-card series with Detroit last year. The Tigers prevailed in three games. Gaddis was 1-1 with two holds and gave up two home runs in 2024. He gave up no home runs last year and did not factor into any decisions. Smith pitched in nine of the 10 playoff games in 2024 and all three last year.  He was 1-0 with one hold in 2024 and 1-0 last year. He gave up one home run in 2024 and none last year. I didn’t know that … until I read my Snapple bottle cap. The Great Wall of China is 13,171 miles long. … United States paper money is made by blending cotton and linen, not paper. … Lake Superior, the largest of the five Great Lakes, holds about three quadrillion gallons of water. Scientists estimate that it is enough to cover all of North America and South America with one foot of water. … Hawaiian pizza, featuring cooked ham and pineapple chunks in addition to sauce and mozzarella cheese, was created in Canada. … The sun is white. Earth’s atmosphere makes it appear yellow. … Dolphins sleep with one eye open while continuing to swim. ...read more read less