Gavin Williams and Cade Smith gave the Guardians exactly the kind of October backbone that gets remembered, and now both pitchers are being recognized for it.
MLB named Williams and Smith to its All-Postseason team, a nod to how much Cleveland leaned on its pitching during the 2026 playoffs. Williams landed among the five starting pitchers honored, while Smith was one of only two relievers selected, alongside World Series champion closer Aaron Ashby.
Williams’ postseason run was the kind that can define a player’s October. He made three starts, worked 15.2 innings and finished with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. Cleveland also turned to him in a different role when he came out of the bullpen for the first time in his career to close out Game 4 against the Chicago White Sox, and he handled it without issue.
What really separated Williams, though, was the strikeout total. He led all postseason pitchers with 33 strikeouts, finishing 12 ahead of Drew Rasmussen, who had 31 strikeouts across five starts and 12 more innings than Williams. It was the kind of punchout pace that made Williams nearly impossible to solve.
Smith’s October was just as important in a different way. Cleveland used him heavily throughout the playoffs, and the workload never seemed to wear him down.
He posted a 2.38 ERA and a 0.53 WHIP, with two of the runs he allowed coming on home runs. His 14 strikeouts ranked third among all relievers in the postseason, and his 11.1 innings pitched also ranked third among relief pitchers.
For a Guardians team that went as far as its arms could take it, the honors fit.
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Jaison Chourio and Khal Stephen are in the mix as well, giving the organization more than one avenue to keep refreshing the roster. Chourio could end up fighting for an outfield job, while Stephen is viewed as a pitching prospect with real upside, but Velazquez is the name that stands out as the one most likely to alter how the Guardians construct their everyday offense when 2027 arrives. [Read more 🡒]
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Guardians Keep Running Into The Same Problem Contenders Can't Ignore
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There is also a bigger layer hanging over all of it, one that reaches beyond this season and into the next round of MLB labor talks. Younger players stand to be affected if the league and union end up back at the bargaining table, especially if the conversation turns toward a salary cap or an owners push for a lockout if no agreement is reached. For a team like Cleveland, which has to be precise with every dollar, the outcome of those negotiations could shape the way it competes for years. [Read more 🡒]