Cleveland Guardians' Stephen Vogt has proven himself to be one of the best managers in MLB, but he only has one year left on his contract.
When Terry Francona announced that he was stepping down as the Cleveland Guardians manager at the end of the 2023 season, there was understandably some anxiety around whether the organization could find someone with the same leadership, respect, and pedigree needed to be an MLB skipper.
Cleveland’s extensive search led them to Stephen Vogt, who was only one year removed from his playing career.
Even though many around baseball believed, even when he was still playing, that Vogt would one day become a great skipper, there was still the unknown of whether he would truly be successful at it.
Now, two years into Vogt’s managerial career, it’s abundantly clear he has what it takes to do the job, and the Guardians made the correct choice with his hiring.
Looking ahead to this winter, yes, it would be nice if the team invested a little more in its big-league roster next season, whether through a free-agent signing or by extending contracts for players such as Gavin Williams or Steven Kwan.
While all of that is important, there is one contract the Guardians must also consider this offseason, and that’s Vogt’s current deal.
When Vogt originally signed with the Guardians in 2023, it was on a three-year deal worth $4 million. The last year of that initial contract will be in 2026, and Cleveland shouldn’t wait for the current deal to wrap up to start talking about his future; the time is now for Cleveland’s front office to start a conversation about a contract extension, if they haven’t done so already.
Through his first two seasons, Vogt has led the Guardians to the playoffs twice, won the 2024 American League Manager of the Year Award, has a strong case to win the same accolade in 2025, and has overcome a 15.5-game deficit to win his division after two of the team’s star pitchers were placed on leave amid an MLB gambling investigation.
Cleveland has some bright spots on their roster, but it's not the most talented in MLB. Vogt’s presence and impact are clearly among the key reasons the team has been competitive and overachieved over the last two years.
If the Guardians don’t give Vogt a handsome, long-term deal to be their manager, some other organization will.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post already hinted at that possibility earlier in October, mentioning, “Some teams would love to see if they can pry Stephen Vogt from Cleveland.” That said, the MLB insider did admit, “that rarely works.”
Thankfully, Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes reported that an extension for Vogt this offseason "seems certain."
The Guardians have seemingly done the impossible, finding the perfect manager to succeed their Hall-of-Fame skipper.
Any doubts or concerns with the first-time manager being put to rest, and Cleveland shouldn’t wait to double down on their commitment to Vogt with an extension next offseason; it should happen this winter.