When the Guardians originally hired Stephen Vogt as their new manager following the 2023 season, it was announced that he’d signed a three-year contract covering the 2024-26 seasons. Vogt, however, isn’t coming up on the final year of his contract as it might have seemed. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Guardians quietly signed Vogt to a multi-year extension following the 2024 campaign. The new contract was never announced, nor was it reported at the time.
Vogt, 41, has been named American League Manager of the Year in each of his two seasons as Cleveland’s skipper. Under his watch, the Guardians have twice enjoyed late-season rallies to force their way into the postseason. The ’24 Guardians won 88 games and topped the Tigers in the ALDS before falling to the Yankees in the ALCS. In 2025, Cleveland won 92 games but lost to the Tigers in a 2-1 Wild Card series defeat. Overall, Vogt is 180-143 as a big league manager.
It’s not entirely clear how long Vogt’s new contract runs, but he’s likely signed through at least the 2028 season now. He’ll continue overseeing a club that’s anchored by perennial MVP candidate José Ramirez and is on the cusp of welcoming a new wave of top prospects who could comprise the Guardians’ long-term core.
Outfield prospect Chase DeLauter made his big league debut in 2025. He’ll be joined by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana at some point in 2026, and fellow top prospects like infielder Angel Genao and catcher Cooper Ingle could make their debuts this coming season as well. Bazzana and Ingle both reached Triple-A in 2025; Genao held his own as a 21-year-old in Double-A. Pitching prospect Khal Stephen, acquired from the Blue Jays in the deadline deal sending Shane Bieber to Toronto, dominated up through the Double-A level in ’25 and could be an option to join Vogt’s rotation in 2026.
Though the Guardians are unlikely to ever field a payroll that’s consistently in the top half of the league, the presence of Ramirez, some quality arms (e.g. Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee), looming young prospects and a perennially successful player development department should continue to put Vogt and the Guardians organization in position for success within the American League Central.
Good for Vogt. I would’ve loved him as the A’s manager.
Every opportunity to retain him and they failed.
Manager of September maybe, but his team was 500 at the end of August.
Good thing you’re not voting
It was a historic comeback to take their division after abruptly losing one of their best players. That’s pretty impressive, especially for a young club not allowing themselves to be distracted by Clase’s mess.
But it completely discounts the fact he was the manager who put them behind by that large amount in the first 5 months of the season. Plus the Tigers played a large role in that comeback with their bad play. It reminds me of when a team at my work won team of the year for fixing a ton of bugs in their software….bugs they caused.
Good idea.
Any opportunity to stay in Cleveland is a good opportunity. Good for him and the Guardians.
The win totals in the article are switched around. The Guardians won 92 games in 2024 and 88 this past year.
“It’s not entirely clear how long Vogt’s new contract runs, but he’s likely signed through at least the 2028 season now.” – Not being sarcastic, but that would be the most moneyball move of all by Cleveland at this point. “We don’t have any money, but no one knows what our contracts are…”