It can sometimes be easy to forget just how good Hunter Gaddis is at the back of the Guardians' bullpen.
While he doesn't get the same kind of attention as Cade Smith due to the fact he's never worked as a full-time closer, Gaddis has arguably been just as good as Smith across the past two seasons as Cleveland's set up man.
And, if his first spring training outing was to be believed, it looks like Gaddis is already at midseason form for a bullpen that could be even better in 2026.
Hunter Gaddis impresses in first outing of spring training for Guardians
On Friday, Gaddis got the ball in the fourth inning of the Guardians' game against the Cubs and absolutely dominated (or so we're to believe since the game wasn't available on radio or TV).
Gaddis threw one inning in that aforementioned outing and struck out Dansby Swanson on a slider out of the zone and Michael Busch on a 95.6 mile per hour fastball at the bottom of the zone. He finished the inning off by getting Matt Shaw to pop out in foul territory.
1-2-3 fourth inning for Hunter Gaddis in his Spring Training debut. Two strikeouts.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) February 27, 2026
It was the classic Gaddis outing, and the kind of thing that Guardians fans have grown accustomed to seeing across the past two seasons.
Gaddis' '24 season was the stuff of legend, as he posted a 1.57 ERA in 74 2/3 innings in his first full season working out of the Guardians' bullpen.
And although his counting stats took a bit of a hit last season (3.11 ERA), he was arguably just as good.
He also reached a new level when the Guardians needed it most after Emmauel Clase was placed on paid leave as a part of a pitch rigging investigation. Gaddis recorded a 2.49 ERA in 21 2/3 innings after Clase left the Guardians' roster and picked up his first career save not long after as the Guardians were cycling through ninth inning options.
The roughest part of Gaddis' career thus far has been the fact he's been on the mound for both of the times the Guardians were eliminated from the postseason, but that's the risk you run of working as a high-leverage arm.
Gaddis moved up a rung thanks to the loss of Clase, and he seems destined to stay there even though the Guardians spent the entire offseason adding to their bullpen.
The Guardians' bullpen was one of the team's bright spots last year, and it should be a downright strength this year thanks to their offseason additions mixing in with Smith and Gaddis.
And, based on Gaddis' start on Friday, it shouldn't take long for all of them to get back to midseason form.