Deciding on a Guardians MVP isn’t a simple exercise this season, not with Cleveland back in the playoff picture and still chasing the American League Central title. The Guardians have already clinched a postseason berth, sit one game ahead of the White Sox in the division race, and carry a magic number of three to lock up the Central and a first-round bye heading into tonight’s games.
But if you force the debate down to one name, Terry Pluto didn’t hesitate on the latest episode of the Terry’s Talkin’ podcast.
“Cade Smith. And I think because he’s been the steadiest guy all year,” Pluto said of the closer.
“I get the other argument can make. You could mention Parker Messick or Gavin Williams, but I just think the closer thing, he’s just incredible what he’s done since he got the job the middle of last year after the Clase (sports-gambling) mess, and now he’s been pitching multiple innings.
“So in my mind, he’s the MVP.”
Smith’s numbers make a strong case. He has made 68 appearances and posted a 1.96 ERA.
His 41 saves lead the Major Leagues, and he’s blown only five. Since Aug. 24, he hasn’t allowed an earned run and has given up just three hits.
On the season, he has struck out 107 and walked 23.
Podcast host David Campbell went in another direction, pointing to Steven Kwan.
“I’m going with Steven Kwan,” Campbell said. “I just feel like he had that awful start, but I think his wins over replacement right now is over 5.
He’s batting .280. His OPS is up to .722.
He’s been on a tear since the middle of the season now, and you combine with what he’s doing offensively, leading off the games the way he does ... and then you add that to the Gold Glove defense that he’s playing in the outfield, as he always has.”
Pluto noted that Kwan is batting .306 in September, which is the best average among Cleveland’s regulars this month.
Williams also has a case, even if it’s been a quieter one. He ranks second in the Majors with 244 strikeouts, putting him in position for a feat a Cleveland pitcher has rarely reached.
The last Cleveland pitcher to lead the majors in strikeouts was Shane Bieber in the shortened 2020 season. Before that, Sudden Sam McDowell did it three straight years from 1968 to 1970.
A big part of Williams’ success has been a sharpened sweeper. He’s throwing it 28.6% of the time this season, up from 19.9% last year, and hitters are batting only .154 against it.
Pluto also pointed to manager Stephen Vogt as a key piece of the puzzle, even though he admitted he had doubts when Cleveland hired him.
“When they hired Vogt, I remember sitting there going, ‘So, they’re hiring a guy who’s managed nowhere and has been a two-year bullpen coach in Seattle,’ ” he said.
Still, Pluto said the organization saw something in Vogt that reminded it of Kevin Cash before Tampa Bay hired him: someone who understood how a team like this has to operate.
“The missing ingredient here,” Pluto said, “is you have to have the right kind of manager to not just run the game, but understand how the organization is run, that you’re liable to have a star (player) and he’s going to be gone because ‘we can’t pay him.’ ”
So the MVP conversation remains open. For Cleveland, that’s not a bad place to be as October approaches.
In Other News...
Josh Naylor Just Gave Cleveland A Playoff Boost They Desperately Needed
Josh Naylor delivered the kind of late spark Cleveland has been waiting for, lining a walk-off single against the Astros to lift the Guardians and trim their Magic Number to clinch a postseason spot to one. It was a timely answer in a tense September setting, the sort of hit that can shift the mood around a club and give a fan base a real reason to start looking ahead.
The knock also carried ripple effects beyond Cleveland, leaving the Astros and Rangers tied atop the American League West while keeping Seattles postseason hopes alive for at least another day. For Naylor, it was a welcome moment in a season that has not gone the way he hoped, but on this night the result mattered far more than the backdrop. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Just Made A Farm System Cut During The Playoff Push
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Spivey missed the 2026 season because of a shoulder injury, even though he had shown some promise before that with a 3.52 ERA across 161 innings. Burton and Dernedde each ran into a mix of injuries and poor performance, and all three are getting close to the age where the clock starts ticking on a prospect path. For a player development system built to keep supplying help to the majors, these are the kinds of moves that clear space for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Take Unusual Mound Gamble With AL Central Stakes Rising
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The approach speaks to the stakes as much as the matchup. Cleveland holds a one-game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central, and the margin for error is razor thin with the division title and a potential first-round bye still hanging in the balance. Every decision now carries extra weight, and this one shows the Guardians are willing to get creative if it helps them protect their position. [Read more 🡒]