Blue Jays trade deadline target: Cade Smith

Contract Status

With Smith still being a new presence in the league, his contract remains very friendly to whichever team controls it. It’s one of the biggest reasons why the Guardians may not be ready to move him as of yet (along with Emmanuel Clase’s current suspension).

Come 2026, Smith will enter his final year of pre-arbitration, meaning that he’ll still earn close to the league minimum. As of 2025, he’s making $785,100, and that number shouldn’t increase by much next season.

2027 is when his contract becomes interesting, as that’s his first year of arbitration. Depending on how he finishes this season and the next, he could earn a fairly large amount for a reliever, which may dissuade some teams who don’t like to spend much on their relievers.

Still, a year and a half of control without arbitration is a considerable savings. If, and it’s a pretty big if, any team can acquire Smith from the Guardians, their wallets won’t hurt too much for it — especially for the value that he brings.

How does Smith help the Blue Jays?

As mentioned earlier, the Jays’ bullpen has been running on fumes for the better part of the year.

With names like Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin still injured, even more depth beyond the addition of Seranthony Dominguez will go a long way. High-leverage depth, such as Smith, especially helps, with Jeff Hoffman having a down year (4.76 ERA).

Whether this depth comes from Smith or a different reliever, the fact remains that the team would benefit greatly from Smith playing North of the border. It’s a longshot he gets traded as well as the Jays likely wanting to give up that much prospect capital for his services, but anything can happen at the trade deadline.