Sep 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) watches the flag raising after the Guardians beat the Texas Rangers and won the American League Central Division at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt addresses losing his top assistant

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Anthony Miller | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 3:13 PM ET

One of the aftereffects of being a winning team is a high percentage of losing top talent on the coaching staff or the roster, and the Cleveland Guardians are feeling that right now after the latest news.

The Baltimore Orioles announced they were hiring Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz as their next manager. Albernaz has worked on the Guardians' staff since Stephen Vogt took over as skipper in 2024.

Vogt shared his thoughts on losing his top assistant to another AL team.

“It’s not often you get to work in this game with one of your best friends. The two years I got to spend with Craig will be two years I cherish more than any in my career. He’s going to crush it in Baltimore. I’m ecstatic for him.”

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Albernaz: “It’s not often you get to work in this game with one of your best friends. The two years I got to spend with Craig will be two years I cherish more than any in my career. He’s going to crush it in Baltimore. I’m ecstatic for him.” https://t.co/6XXjOsjCsb
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 27, 2025

Albernaz had a ton of success helping Vogt keep the Guardians not only competitive but also among the best teams in the AL. The Guardians have made the postseason two seasons in a row with a 180-143 record in that span. Cleveland made it to the ALCS in 2024 and this past season stalled out in the AL Wild Card.

When he first got to Cleveland last year, Albernaz started as a bench coach for the 2024 season. Vogt was so impressive with Albernaz's job that he promoted him to associate manager last offseason.

This was bound to happen as Albernaz has been a popular name for other manager openings over the last year. He was initially up for the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins manager roles, but decided to withdraw his name from both and stay with Vogt in Cleveland.

The good part for Albernaz is that he takes over an Orioles team that finished 75-87 last year after having two consecutive seasons in the postseason in the previous two seasons. It's a Baltimore team that underachieved, but has the talent to get them back to the postseason.

For Vogt, the job gets tougher as he will have to find another right-hand man to take over the associate manager position. Look for him to look within the organization to find his Albernaz replacement and promote someone.

The Guardians still have some other questions Vogt will have to deal with this offseason after the team had a disappointing run in the postseason that ended too early. Even their regular season record disappointed, with fewer wins in 2025 than they had in 2024.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: