Trade Profile: Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith

In a crowded American League wild card race, with seven teams all in close proximity to each other, the Cleveland Guardians, who are three games back in that wild card race, could see the next week shape their approach to the 2025 trade deadline. Per ESPN‘s Jeff Passan, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Cleveland has been willing to listen on some of its top players, including relievers Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith. For the Mets, both would be strong setup options ahead of shutdown closer Edwin Díaz.

The Mets, meanwhile, need bullpen help and could pursue several options. According to The Athletic, New York may look to add multiple arms and, “aren’t ruling out a significant late-game addition.” This approach makes sense, as the team currently lacks quality setup men, but additionally, there simply aren’t enough relievers in manager Carlos Mendoza’s bullpen right now.

Emmanuel Clase, RP

Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 27 (03/18/1998)

2025 Traditional Stats: 48 G, 41 GF, 24 SV, 47.1 IP, 5-3, 3.23 ERA, 1.225 WHIP, 47 SO, 12 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 129 ERA+, 23.4% K%, 6.0% BB%, 2.99 xERA, 2.67 FIP, 3.50 xFIP, 0.6 bWAR, 1.1 fWAR

Rundown

The 27-year-old Clase should be a household name by now. Since 2021, he’s been one of the game’s top relievers, saving over 40 games in three-of-four seasons between 2021 and 2024. During that stretch, he posted a 1.62 ERA, a 5.40 strikeout-to-walk rate, and was an American League All-Star three times. In 2022 and 2024, he won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award.

Of course, Clase’s 2024 campaign was his most legendary. He was a godsend for the Guardians and the face of what was clearly the best bullpen in baseball. That season earned him a third-place finish in Cy Young voting, becoming the first reliever to crack the top three since Francisco Rodríguez in 2008.

It’s not quite his dominant 2024, but he’s been solid once again this year. Over 47 1/3 innings, he owns a 3.23 ERA with 24 saves. His strikeout-to-walk rate has also dipped to 3.92 from last year’s 6.60, as his walk rate has increased by a little.

Clase has never been a strikeout-heavy pitcher; instead, he relies on a hard cutter that, like all cutters, rides up and in on lefties and away from righties. This season, the pitch has looked more vulnerable, with batters hitting .266 against it; though the expected average on it is a more forgiving .249. Still, there’s no doubt it remains one of the best cutters in the game and one of the league’s top pitches.

He signed a five-year, $20 million contract back in 2022 while he was still earning the league minimum. He’ll make $4.5 million this year and $6 million next season, but the deal also includes club options worth $10 million for 2026 and 2027 that appear like locks to be exercised. This is key given that current Mets closer, Edwin Díaz, has an opt-out in his contract, meaning the Mets very well may be on the hunt for a new closer this offseason. The addition of Clase would make losing Díaz in free agency a lot easier.

Cade Smith, RP

Position: RP B/T: R/R
Age: 26 (05/9/1999)

2025 Traditional Stats: 46 G, 5 GF, 3 SV, 44.2 IP, 2-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.187 WHIP, 65 SO, 17 BB
2025 Advanced Stats: 138 ERA+, 34.2% K%, 8.9% BB%, 2.63 xERA, 2.04 FIP, 2.89 xFIP, 1.5 fWAR, 0.3 bWAR

Rundown

Cade Smith wasn’t highly regarded by prospect outlets entering 2024, but his breakout rookie season put him on the radar as a legitimate setup arm alongside the already-perennial All-Star in Clase. In 2024, he posted a brilliant 1.91 ERA while striking out over 36% of batters faced.

Smith has been streaky this season. He posted a 1.32 ERA in April, followed by a rough 5.06 ERA in May. He bounced back with a 1.13 ERA in June, but has struggled again in July, with a 5.23 ERA so far this month.

While Clase relies on inducing ground balls, Smith’s strength is his strikeout ability. Over 44 2/3 innings this season, the 26-year-old has recorded 65 strikeouts and a 34.2% strikeout rate. His 3.02 ERA is slightly higher than in 2024, and his results have still been excellent. Plus, advanced metrics tend to favor pitchers with strikeout-heavy profiles, and Smith is no exception; he’s currently underperforming both of his 2.04 FIP and 2.55 SIERA.

He’s also elite at limiting home runs. Over 75 1/3 innings in 2024, he gave up just one, and through 44 2/3 innings this year, he’s allowed only two. With the league average sitting around 1.1 homers per nine innings, his 0.1 HR/9 in 2024 and 0.4 this season stand out as exceptional.

Smith’s fastball is where he truly stands out. In 2024, it was the most valuable in the league, making him one of just three relievers with a four-seamer ranked in the top 10. His sweeper and splitter are fringe-average, but their similar spin help them play well off the fastball. Still, their limitations have led him to rely on the four-seamer, which he throws about 70% of the time.

Smith is still slated to be under team control for seasons to come. He won’t even be eligible for arbitration until 2027. That kind of club control is a rarity for an available reliever this effective. This would once again be vital to a Mets team that may lose their elite back-end bullpen stopgap at season’s end.

Package

The fact that Cleveland is listening to offers on Clase and Smith doesn’t necessarily mean they’re actively shopping their two star relievers. If the Guardians remain in the wild card hunt by the trade deadline, the two might still be available, but at the price of a king’s ransom. Unless Cleveland goes on a crazy run, trading them isn’t off the table, even if they’re just a game or two out. It’s a common strategy for savvy small-market teams  to retool by both buying and selling.

In any case, Clase and Smith will be extremely expensive. A deal centered around one of the Mets’ top-four prospects (from Jett Williams down to Carson Benge) and one of Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña could potentially get a deal done, but even that depends on the Guardians’ opinion on the Mets’ best.

Any trade for either Clase or Smith rightfully won’t come cheap. It is extremely rare to see as elite as a reliever as both Clase and Smith are, plus having all the team control they have, be available at a trade deadline.

Recommendation

Trading away a top-four guy for Clase or Smith would be a high-risk move, and that is exactly what it would likely take. New York has finally rebuilt their farm system. Trading away top young talent for relievers whose main appeal is affordability could undermine what might be president of baseball David Stearns’ greatest asset; spending power. The controllability might be a curse in disguise, as it’s extraordinarily valuable for Cleveland but less so for an owner with deeper pockets like owner Steve Cohen.

This trade deadline may not be the right time to spend big, especially on bullpen arms like Clase or Smith. Looking elsewhere for help would definitely be the safer move, though sometimes it’s the daring decisions that carry teams to the finish line.

The post Trade Profile: Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith appeared first on Metsmerized Online.