Three Cleveland Guardians receive bonuses in pre-arbitration pool

Three Cleveland Guardians can spend a bit of extra money on their Thanksgiving feasts this year.

On Tuesday, Nov. 25, it was released that closer Cade Smith and starters Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams received pretty nice raises in the pre-arbitration pool. The extra sum of money came in at north of $200,000 for Bibee and just more than $300,000 for Smith and Williams.

This bonus pool of money is determined by the collective bargaining agreement. An eligible player receives these potential bonuses by being in the race or being selected for MLB end-of-season awards. Any excess money is then distributed across the league based on a WAR formula.

In 2025, Cleveland's pitching room relied heavily on the trio of Smith, Williams and Bibee.

Out of the bullpen, Smith had to take a major step forward. In July 2025, it was announced that the team would be without All-Star, and at the time, future Hall of Famer Emmanuel Clase due to an illegal betting investigation. Clase would ultimately end up missing the entire 2025 season from that point on.

In his place, Smith recorded an ERA of 2.93 on the year across 73.2 innings pitched. He ended up averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings with just 2.3 walks.

Obviously, since he was thrust into a new role, he struggled at times, but with a full offseason to prepare for the upcoming campaign, the 26-year-old can take over the lead closer job with potential to thrive.

Just like Smith, Bibee and Williams had a similar situation.

Alongside the loss of Clase, starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was emerging as a prominent starter for the Guardians in 2025, suffered a similar fate as Clase. He was caught up in an illegal gambling investigation before being put on leave from the MLB.

Both Williams and Bibee had to take on a bigger role on the mound and produce more consistent outings due to a depleted rotation. Williams ended the campaign with a career-high 3.06 ERA across 167.2 innings pitched, while nearly doubling the number of starts he had in the two seasons prior.

He finished the year with a pWAR of 3.8 with a 12-5 record.

Bibee, on the other hand, who's become the clear-cut ace for the team, suffered a few more bumps in the road than the other starting pitchers on the team.

He capped off 182.1 innings and 31 starts with a relatively high ERA of 4.24 on the year. He recorded two complete games and one shutout.

His ERA was a career low across his three seasons in the league, but when it mattered the most, he turned it up in August and September. From Sept. 6 through the end of the year, he allowed just four earned runs across 27.2 innings, leading the Guardians to four straight wins while he was on the mound. He struck out 26 batters during that time.

Cleveland's obviously in a great spot heading into the 2026 season, as long as they address a few inconsistencies in other areas of the roster. The team's pitching is looking young, but solid, and with more time, they can become more consistent.

For now, all eyes turn towards the non-tendered free agents who have hit the market, and whether the Guardians' front office will make a splash.