Stephen Vogt quietly signs contract extension with Cleveland Guardians

It was initially believed that Vogt’s contract would expire at the end of 2026, but Vogt is here to stay. As Meisel said in his article, “Vogt will be in Cleveland for a long time. Don’t worry about his future.” Passan said that his sources told him the deal Vogt signed following the 2024 season was a multiyear deal.

Stephen Vogt is not going anywhere any time soon.

The exact details of the deal are not yet known. This is nothing new for the Guardians, who made it a habit to keep the details of former Manager Terry Francona’s contracts under wraps. 

Stephen Vogt has gone 180-143, which is a .557 winning percentage. With all of those wins came two AL Central titles. Winning back-to-back division titles is something Cleveland has not done since 2016-2018. Before 2016, Cleveland’s last division title was in 2007.

You extend managers who can bring you consistent success, especially success you have not seen since your last World Series window, more than seven years ago. Until those Terry Francona teams, Cleveland had not had a run of division titles since the mid to late 90’s, where they won AL Central titles from 1995-1999, and then again in 2001.

All in all, Vogt has brought Cleveland to where they have aspired to be. He has been the perfect replacement for Terry Francona. Both managers were able to find consistent success while also finding playoff success.

Sure, the Guardians lost in the Wild Card round this season, but reaching the ALCS in 2024 is no small feat to be forgotten. Managers in baseball can often find homes for decades. Some of the best managers of all time have had long stints with one team. 

Vogt has seen some changes around him on his staff, namely losing Craig Albernaz to the Orioles and Kai Correa to the Mets. Fortunately, he retained pitching coach Carl Willis to help maintain the high level of pitching from both the starters and the bullpen. 

A former work partner of Stephen Vogt, Tony Arnerich, took Albernaz’s spot as bench coach and has a definite promise of success based on his rapport with Vogt and his success on the coaching staff in Seattle.

Can Vogt win a third consecutive Manager of the Year award? Probably not, considering voter fatigue and emerging teams. Can Vogt win a third consecutive AL Central title?

Absolutely. Retaining Vogt was the right move for the Guardians, and locking him up for the foreseeable future may be bigger than any free-agent acquisition this offseason.