Three years ago, before Cade Smith made his Major League debut or even threw a pitch for the Cleveland Guardians, he had the opportunity to compete for his home country of Canada in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Since then, Cade has established himself as one of the best high-leverage relievers in MLB, and for the first time in his career, enter the season as Cleveland’s closer.
Advertisement
However, Smith is not playing for Team Canada in the 2026 WBC. It was a decision that he recently told Foul Territory was his own as he heads into
“It was my decision [to not play in the WBC], Cade said.
“In ‘23, it was a phenomenal experience. Like, that was my first experience pitching in major league stadiums in front of sold-out crowds and that kind of environment. I had so much fun and enjoyed that. So, just this year, being at, kind of where things are architecturally, I didn’t feel that it was wise for me to take that time away. I wanted to make sure that I was here and completely present and focused on the year coming up.”
Mar 15, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Canada pitcher Cade Smith against Mexico during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The 2026 season will be Smith’s last year on a minimum MLB contract before his arbitration eligibility next winter. Considering that through his first two years, Smith has a 2.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 17 saves under his belt, he is in line for quite a large payday, even in his first year in the arbitration process.
Advertisement
That inevitable payday is contingent on one thing, though: health.
Smith has pitched in 150 games through his first two big-league seasons. That’s a heavy workload for any pitcher in MLB, let alone one with an average fastball velocity of 96.4 mph.
It’s hard to blame Cade if he didn’t want to compete in the WBC because of this high workload, and solely focus on the upcoming season.
Perhaps three years from now, in the 2029 WBC, Cade will get another chance to rep Candada, but for now, he’s concentrated on the Guardians.
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.