CLEVELAND, Ohio — A subtle but telling change has appeared on the exterior of Progressive Field, and it speaks volumes about the future of Emmanuel Clase with the Guardians.
As revealed on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, the team has quietly removed Clase’s poster from the stadium’s exterior wall along East 9th Street, replacing it with an image of rising relief pitcher Cade Smith.
“Clase had a poster that has since been taken down from the side of the building. It’s been replaced. Do you want to guess with the name of the… and the likeness of the player that’s replaced Emmanuel Clase in that spot?” Joe Noga asked podcast co-host Paul Hoynes. “Well, it’s the most logical one you can think of. It’s Cade Smith.”
This change comes as Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz face serious legal troubles after being indicted on gambling charges. The removal of Clase’s image appears to be a clear indication that the organization is preparing for a future without its All-Star closer.
“It’s going to take a long time to play out,” Hoynes noted on the podcast. “Those two, if you’re the Guardians, you have to plan your season without those two guys.”
The poster switch is particularly significant given that player images on Progressive Field’s exterior aren’t changed without consideration. The current displays feature franchise cornerstones Stephen Kwan, Jose Ramirez, and Tanner Bibee, underscoring the importance of who gets represented on the building.
Noga observed what many fans are thinking: The Guardians appear to be “slowly beginning to wipe him from the archives here I think… knowing that the writing is on the wall.”
This visual change aligns with how organizations typically begin distancing themselves from players facing serious allegations or extended absences. While nothing has been officially announced regarding Clase’s future with the team, the visual messaging is unmistakable.
Smith, the new face on the building, seems poised to inherit the closer role. The right-hander had an impressive breakout season in 2024, establishing himself as a reliable high-leverage reliever. The recently-bearded Smith (though interestingly, the poster doesn’t showcase his newly grown facial hair) represents the future of Cleveland’s bullpen.
When discussing who might appear on the cover of the 2026 media guide, Hoynes predicted: “I think one guy will be on there, Jose Ramirez and another guy, probably Cade Smith. I would think that’s a pretty good chance.”
The situation mirrors how teams handle their annual media guides, with the cover selections often foreshadowing the organization’s direction and priorities. Players facing uncertain futures rarely make the cover, and those who do typically represent the franchise’s most stable pieces.
For Guardians fans, this change signals the team’s pragmatic approach to handling the Clase situation. Rather than waiting for legal proceedings to conclude, they’re proactively preparing for a future with Smith as their closer.
Want to hear more about how the Guardians are handling their bullpen transition and other offseason developments? Listen to the full Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast episode for an in-depth discussion of this evolving situation and what it means for the team’s 2025 plans.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, the bullpen construction continues for the Guardians. They go out and they sign Pirates right hander Colin Holderman. He gets a reported $1.5 million one year deal to join the bullpen. You know, it seems like a theme that we’re sticking with all, all this offseason with these, these right handed relievers in the Guardians bullpen. Six foot six, 230 pounds, throws about 97 miles an hour, sinker, slider, cutter. This is, he fits the mold I guess is the, is the way to, the way to say it. Right up there with Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith and newly signed Connor Brogden, who’s also 6 foot 6. They’re putting together quite a basketball team out there in the bullpen.
Paul Hoynes: Joe. You know, they said they wanted to add to the bullpen going into the winter meetings and even before that. And the Guardians certainly are living up to their word in that regard. You know, three guys, three new additions to the pen in about the last couple. Right. So I don’t know how many more guys they can add but you know, they certainly are going to have, you know, a group to pick and choose from in spring training and you know, they, they felt they needed depth there and, and, and some more arms and they’ve added to it and it’s going to be interesting to see just how this shakes out. Joe, who are, who are going to be the eight guys?
Joe Noga: Yeah, I mean before the winter meeting started, they, they signed Connor Brogden, former Angels reliever and you had spent some time and actually pitched in the World Series with Phil a few years back. Brogdon, they sign before the winter meetings to a major league contract just under a million dollars. Peyton Paulette, they pluck off of the White Sox unprotected roster in the Rule 5 draft. This is a guy with a high strikeout potential, you know, a former high draft pick for them and you know he’s a guy who’s going to have a chance to make the major league roster for the Guardians having, you know, spent $100,000 to, to select him and if he makes the, the big league roster and then sticks with the club the for the entire season they get to keep him like they did Trevor, Trevor Stephan a few years ago and then Holderman now, now that the winter meetings are over, they’ve, you know, they said they weren’t done in adding to that bullpen. They said they, they intended to keep making Additions there and they, they were true to their word. So now, yeah, it’s starting to get a little crowded. A lot of 6 foot 6 right handers out there. We know that the back end is going to feature Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and you know, to, to some degree Eric Zabrowski, wherever he fits in, in leverage situations as long as he’s healthy. But in front of that you need a, you need guys to get them the ball and this is how they’re going to try and do it.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, you know, you add Matt Feste in there, you know, probably what, in the sixth, seventh inning, as you said, Sobrowski, lefty in there, mix him into that. Tim Heron, you know, was kind of up and down a little bit last year, but made over 50 appearances, I believe. Another lefty that had the, you know, the great season in 2024, along with, you know, so many other guys in that pen, you know, so. And you know, you’ve got a swing guy maybe. And in Cantillo, we don’t know how this rotation is going to shake out, but we do know they’ve got maybe six or seven starters for five spots and Cantillo has shown he can do a little, you know, he can do both, so both roles. So you know that that’s going to give him an edge, I think.
Joe Noga: In, in what about Trevor Stephan coming off of an injury year, you know, having had the surgery more than a year ago and really struggling to sort of regain his velocity? Yeah, I don’t think he’s not on the 40 man roster. He’ll probably get an invite to spring training to try and prove himself. But the guardians still owe Trevor Stephan some money.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, they owe him 3.5 million for the upcoming season. You know, they outright him late last year off the 40 man. But yeah, you hit it on the head, Joe. He’s going to have to complete that, you know, rehab from Tommy John. You know, this is a classic example of, you know, everyone, every pitcher that undergoes that surgery comes back at, at their own pace. You see Shane Bieber and, and, and you know, Stefan had that surgery what about a month apart in 2024 and Bieber is pitching in Game 7 of the World Series and Stefan is still trying to get back and velocity is a big, to get that back. You know, didn’t need him to get his strike throwing ability back and I’m sure he’s going to get a shot in spring training, but they need to see the, you know, the Trevor Stephan that kind of earned that four Year contract a few years ago from Cleveland.
Joe Noga: Let’s, you know, focus here a little bit on Holderman, who they just signed. 30 years old, was in. Spent his, his career mostly with the Pirates. I think the, the Mets drafted him originally and then he was dealt to Pittsburgh for Daniel Vogelbach at one point at a trade deadline, I think in 20, 21 or 22. But he had a couple of good years really as a, you know, prolific guy in terms of innings and strikeouts for Pittsburgh. Is this the kind of guy that could fill a spot and fill a need in that bullpen in terms of just giving you a couple innings there? Maybe not in leverage situations to start off with, but once he earns sort of that trust from, from Stephen Vogt, if he’s able to do that, I.
Paul Hoynes: Think for sure, Joe, you know, this is a guy, you know, when you look at his, you know, his baseball, the back of his baseball card, he made 58 appearances and 23, 55 and in 24, only 24 and this past season. But you know, they, he’s. He kind of. It would be nice if he could feel that role left by Jacob Junas. You know, Junas had a great year last season. 4 and 1.2.97 ERA, 57 appearances. So if he could slot in right there, is that, that right hander where, you know, kind of you could use him in multiple different roles. That would be ideal. And, and Joe, the one thing you got to say about the Guardians, they get three relievers that could fit in their big league bullpen and all it cost them was like 2.5 million. DOL. Math is right, and that’s always debatable. But you know, Poet is a hundred grand. You know, Brogdon is 900 grand and Holderman gets 1.5. So really, you know, they, they’re, they’re finding some value hopefully in those three.
Joe Noga: Relievers that, that price will go up if, if Paulette makes the roster and has to get paid the major league minimum. So obviously, you know, his salary would, you know, slot right in there with, with all the other young players on the roster. But so a little bit, a little bit over 3 million, I guess, would be what, what they’re paying them. And, and that’s what you would have paid Jacob Junas if he had signed a similar contract to what he had the year before. So. So really you, you don’t bring Junas back, but you bring back three guys on about the same amount of money. I can see, you know, now that you sort of peel back that curtain do you see how the, the, how things work there and how they’re operating? I get it. Chris Antonetti might turn off trying to make the resources that they have there. Yeah. It’s not a super flashy signing. It’s not a big headliner. Obviously, you know, Edwin Diaz gets the big money and Robert Suarez signs yesterday in, in what, Atlanta? So, you know, he’s, you know, they’re the big names are, are off the board at the top of the, the relief pitching market. But the guardians sort of work in the shadows and working the margins there and that’s where they, they make their money and they make their big moves. So. So really, you know, it funny to point out, I think I saw on social media there were a couple of posts about the, the outside of the ballpark at Progressive Field. We talked about there being some players in town to work on swing camps and throwing programs. There are posters, I believe, along East 9th, giant posters on the, on the outside of the building. Stephen Kwan, Jose Ramirez, Tanner Bibby. Emmanuel Clase had a poster that has since been taken down from the side of the building there. It’s been replaced. Do you want to guess with the name of the. And the likeness of the player that’s replaced Emmanuel Class A in that spot?
Paul Hoynes: I don’t know, Joe. Give me, give me a hint.
Joe Noga: Well, it’s the most logical one you can think of. It’s Cade Smith. However, the, the photo isn’t the bearded Cade Smith that we saw on the the Guardian social media post from earlier in the week. Kate Smith choosing to grow out the facial hair in, in the winter. You know, maybe that’s a Vancouver thing, who knows. But Kate Smith taking his place on the, the wall outside the, the ballpark there. So yeah, that gives you a little bit of an indication do we always like to play the game in February of you know, who’s going to be on the out on the COVID of the media guide from year to year. This, this past year, heck it was. It was some newspaper clippings. I think Emmanuel Clase had a spot on the, on the COVID of the the media guide, but slowly beginning to, to wipe him from the. The archives here I think are the guardians knowing that the writing is on the wall.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. You know, with Class A and Luis Ortiz headed for trial after being indicted for gambling charges. Joe, that’s it’s going to be. That’s. That’s going to. That’s going to be. Take a long time to play out, I believe. Yeah. Those two, you know, they, if you’re the Guardians, you have to plan your season without those two guys. And when you think about the COVID of the media guy for 2026, I think one guy will be on there, Jose Ramirez and another guy, probably Cage Smith. I would think that’s a pretty good chance. And Quan as well, if Stephen is still here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, Quan’s the one I’m going to be wondering about because, you know, the media guide is still the media guide in August and after the trade deadline, you want to be looking at it and saying, hey, he’s not around anymore. Which is a strong possibility. The other face that was on the front of the media guide this past year was Tom Hamilton because it was in anticipation of his trip to Cooperstown. So we won’t talk about whether or not they’re gonna put Hornsy on the COVID of the media guy. That’d be, that, that would be a step. I’m just saying that would be something. I mean, there have been pictures of you on the inside as a, as a BBWA officer, but, you know, putting you on the front page, man, that, that’d be, that would be a step.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, that’s a war of the world. So we’d have people running down the street screaming, trying to get out of town.
Joe Noga: Cataclysmic event. All right, so the bullpen still something that they’re concerned about and still, you know, this is the ongoing debate all off season. Will they add a bat at some point? Will they add, will they bring in a veteran outfielder somewhere, somebody who can hit in the middle of the lineup? Even if it’s not, you know, a permanent, long lasting solution there, they still want to keep the Runway clear for guys like Chase Dilaud or George Valera. Those guys, you know, we, we have a couple of months here to, to continue that discussion and see if any signings happen. But what, what’s your feeling right now? Do you think any, any, do you think they’re, you know, done in that regard or are they going to keep trying to look to make moves?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I would think they keep trying to make moves. Fill out that, you know, fill out the, the training camp roster. I think they’ll bring a couple bats in, I would think, Joe. I mean, not, you know, like you said, you know, not primary, legitimate everyday hitters, but guys that might, may be able to supplement this lineup while not, you know, taking advance away from their primary prospects. And I think they’ll bring in some start. I think they’ll bring in more pitching, you know, maybe a starter or two to, you know, Just to add some depth. But you know, I would, I don’t think the heavy lifting is done yet. I would, I would hope not. Joe. I think, you know, but, but you know, again, you know, they are so committed to these young guys that on the offensive side they might not do too much after this.
Joe Noga: One name and one veteran here that would, would have fit that mold and a guy that was around all year last year. We actually had this same conversation about him at this time last year. Lane Thomas. Unfortunately his season derailed in large part by plantar fasciitis and injuries. You know, a hand injury early in the year and then the plantar fasciitis, which limited him to what, less than 40 games for the entire season. Guy who they, you know, had. Had really hoped would be able to, to sort of fill the exactly that role for them. Last year he, I guess overnight signed with Kansas City. So we’ll, we’ll still get to see Lane Thomas, I guess. What do you think of Lane Thomas joining the Royals and what can he do there?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think, you know, they, they were looking for outfield help. Joe, The Royals, they spent a lot of time there. Their offense is, is almost as struggles last season, almost as much as Cleveland’s, maybe more so in, in different areas. So that does not surprise me that they signed Lane Thomas. I hope Thomas is healthy. Just. Boy he had a terrible, you know, he just had terrible luck last season. The broken, the broken hand or not the broken hand, but he hits on the hand at the home opener. Then you know, the plantar fasciitis. He only plays like 37 games. We really don’t get to, he doesn’t get to help the guardians at all. So hopefully he’s healthy and he has a, has a, has a bounce back year because he needs one.
Joe Noga: Yeah, that’s a guy can hit, you know, 20 home runs. It can steal 30 bases in a season when he’s healthy and able to do that. Has a pretty decent arm, can. Can run a little bit in the outfield. Obviously Kansas City’s got, you know, one of the biggest outfields in baseball. Just if, if he works out for the Royals, that’s a, it’s a good signing. One year, 5.2 mil, 5.25 million with incentives is, is what’s being reported. I just, I think the Lane Thomas’s time in Cleveland, I, I think it run its course and, and you know, the, the train was coming with guys like DeLauer and Valera and, and others. You know, you got to find a Place for Angel Martinez somewhere, maybe that center field. So yeah, Elaine Thomas was, it was not gonna fit in the Guardians plans again this year.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, definitely. It was just a shame he got hurt, Joe, because he could have really helped them last year. I think that’s why, you know, the Guardians really kind of signed him, brought him back, you know, because they saw what he could do in stretches down the, down the stretch in 2024 in the postseason. He was a valuable member of that club, but he just couldn’t stay on the field.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s. No one will Forget the, the 2024 playoff Lane Thomas and what he was able to deliver for this club. It’s you know, some of the biggest home runs, some of the biggest moments of that postseason. But obviously just, you know, it’s unfortunate that it didn’t work out with the injury history there. All right. Saw a tweet from Jeff Passon about, you know, Stephen Vogt and the manager of the year award and Pat Murphy. Both of them won consecutive years American and National League Managers of the year. And right now it’s being reported that Pat Murphy doesn’t have a contract or is, is working in a lame duck year, you know, and, but Stephen Vogt may or may not be in the same situation. He was on a three year deal signed in November of 2023 that would take him through the end of the 2026 season. It’s sort of understood after we met with the, the front office at the end of the playoff run with the Guardians that that votes contract situation either already had been resolved or you know, would be resolved soon. Whether he signed an extension, you know, sort of, you know, winking a nod, assuring us that he would be in a Guardian’s uniform for several years to come. But really nothing official, nothing announced. And that’s sort of the, the Guardian’s MO lately is that they’ve, they’ve really not announced manager or front office contract extensions. Coinsey, why do you think that is?
Paul Hoynes: You know, I’m not sure Joe. I mean they usually, in the past I thought they’ve usually announced the extensions for the manager but you know, for the front office. As long as I’ve covered the team, they have never announced an extension for, you know, Chris Antonetti, Mark Shapiro, maybe with John Hart, I can’t remember for sure or Danny o’. Dowd. But you know, in the most recently, you know, with Mike Chernoff and Antonetti and Matt Foreman, this front office, they have not announced, you know, extensions. I don’t know if that’s you know, they just want to keep all the focus on the players or they just want to give that, you know, that impression of stability inside and outside the organization.
Joe Noga: I mean, giving that, that feeling of a stable front office continuity there and the, you know, that the manager is in place and that he’s got security and you know, that, that speaks to the clubhouse as well. If you’ve got a manager who you know is going to be there, that that’s important to the players as well. You know, why wouldn’t they want to, you know, talk about that and have that out there as a headline or a story? I, I, that’s confusing to me in, in, in that regard. But as far as, you know, votes certainly done everything and more that you could do as a manager in his first two years to earn some sort of, you know, big contract extension. I mean, I would be walking into negotiations there and just saying, hey, look, you know, this is, what more do you want me to do?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he’s one manager of the year. Both years he’s been a manager, he’s taken his team to division titles and the postseason. Yeah. Joe, I was told, you know, at, toward, right after the season or at, you know, after the end of the season that, you know, they expect Stephen Vogt to be managing here for a long, long time. So they weren’t, you know, I’m sending an extension, but the impression was that either he had made the, made a deal already or that one was to come in the near future.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And I can understand not wanting to reveal maybe financial terms of the deal, but you could at least come out and say he’s, he’s got a, he’s signed to a three year extension or, you know, however many years you want to extend him. I just think that, you know, the fans definitely want to hear that there’s that stability there, but I would imagine the players want to hear it as well.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you don’t want him walking into a lame duck year in 2026, which would be the last year of his three year deal. I mean, I’m sure some kind of arrangement has been worked out and there’s some kind of announcement coming either in spring training or before, before the start of spring training. Yeah.
Joe Noga: And maybe this is coming from Vogt himself, who knows? He’s, he seemed over the last two years of getting to know him, he seemed, you know, at times pretty private about certain things. And you know, the way he conducts himself, even with the media just in, in where he has his, you know, daily press Briefings when you’re on the road, he has him in the, in the. The dugout instead of in the manager’s office, which is where, you know, we used to always get, you know, a few minutes a day on the road in, inside Tito’s office there at the different ballparks. That’s not the case with Vote. He prefers to do them out on the field. So he’s. At times, he can be a little private about certain things. So maybe that’s that. That plays into this. But I get a feeling it come. It’s coming from the club. As far as not wanting to announce.
Paul Hoynes: It, I don’t know why they wouldn’t announce it if they’ve got a deal in place. I mean, what, what’s the secret, you know?
Joe Noga: Well, and, you know, there’s other members of the. The front office who may or may not have, you know, recently signed extensions as well. You’re talking about guys like Eric Foreman and James Harris. And these are guys who will be sought after by other clubs in terms of. Of, you know, joining their front offices. And, you know, we don’t know what their status is in terms of how long they’re going to be around.
Paul Hoynes: You know, I mean, I think teams have, you know, general. If it’s just the, the impression of the front office that, you know, they have a lot of, you know, every season it seems like there’s a lot of, you know, 29 other teams come knocking on the door of the Guardians. They want, you know, they want certain guys from the front office, you know, because the Guardians have built a successful organization and maybe this is just, you know, you know, I think, you know, they’ve let people go before, but they’ve also kept people, you know, people have decided to stay, and maybe when they do stay, they get rewarded for staying.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it could be the case. Definitely. Interesting to follow along. But, you know, maybe. Maybe once we get to spring training, maybe there’ll be an announcement there about vote. We’ll. We’ll see. And, you know, who knows, maybe this, this tweet from Jeff Pass, it might spur something along as well. So we’ll follow that along. All right, Hoyncy, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. We’ll be back on Monday to talk a little bit more about baseball in the off season, and we’ll talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes: Okay, buddy.