New ESPN report links Yankees to breakout Guardians reliever

Jul 21, 2025 10:45 AM EDT

If the Yankees can get creative and convince the Guardians to make a deal, it might not be the closer Emmanuel Clase that they are targeting. ESPN Insider’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel think there is a small chance that Cleveland would deal reliever Cade Smith and linked him to the Yankees. 

According to Passan and McDaniel, the Guardians right-hander has been “arguably the best reliever in baseball” since the start of 2024. He’s striking out more than 13 batters per nine innings, has four more years of team control, and has emerged as the kind of bullpen weapon every October contender wants—but almost no one can afford.

Passan and McDaniel assign Smith just a 20 percent chance of being traded. That’s not nothing. But it’s not much either.

Still, the Yankees are listed as one of Smith’s best fits, along with the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Tigers, and Rangers. It’s not hard to see why.

They need late-inning help. 

Yes, Devin Williams has been better. Luke Weaver is starting to look like himself. Still, this is a bullpen that’s been carrying a heavy workload and the cracks are already showing with Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarbrough and Mark Leiter Jr. on the injured list. Jonathan Loaisiga has been erratic in his return from Tommy John surgery. 

That’s not a confident way to go into October. 

 The Yankees could use someone with swing-and-miss stuff and nerves made for October.

Smith fits that profile. But there’s a price. A steep one.

Because of his age, production, and team control, acquiring Smith would cost serious prospect capital. That’s likely more than the Yankees would give up for a rental closer. 

It’s a bold move. It’s also the kind of move that, historically, Brian Cashman doesn’t make unless he sees a perfect storm of value and need. Maybe the historic season Aaron Judge is putting together will make him a little less risk-averse. 

So is it realistic? Not really.

But is it worth watching? Absolutely.