Manager Stephen Vogt dismissed speculation Thursday that he would leave the Guardians for the Seattle Mariners, saying in Cleveland, “I’m here. I’m coming back.”
The Mariners have a managerial opening after firing Dan Wilson on the final day of the regular season, fueling speculation that Vogt, a longtime Olympia, Wash., resident, might return to the Pacific Northwest.
Vogt said the Mariners never approached him, and he has no intention of leaving the Guardians. Still, he acknowledged the challenges of working far from home.
“It’s very difficult living on the other side of the country, especially with my kids’ age,” Vogt said. “My daughter’s in high school, my boys are starting to get older, their activities are going up, so it’s more challenging for them to get out here on a whim.
“But my wife’s incredible and she reminds me every day that I’m where I’m supposed to be and I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. And she jokes, ‘We don’t need you anyway.’ Not joking. It’s the worst part of my job.”
Vogt, 41, just completed his second season under a multiyear contract extension signed after the 2024 campaign, though the Guardians have not disclosed its length.
Vogt has a 265-220 regular-season record and a 10-14 postseason mark through three seasons in Cleveland. The Guardians won the American League Central each year and reached the AL Championship Series this season before falling to the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.
He took over in Cleveland after spending one year as the Mariners’ bullpen coach.
Vogt was selected the AL Manager of the Year in 2024 and 2025.
“I have every expectation that ‘Voter’ is going to manage here for a really long time,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “We don’t have any interest in ‘Voter’ managing anywhere else.”
Vogt was a major league catcher with the Rays (2012), then-Oakland Athletics (2013-17, 2022), Milwaukee Brewers (2017), San Francisco Giants (2019), Arizona Diamondbacks (2020-21) and Atlanta Braves (2021). He batted .239 with a .301 on-base percentage, a .406 slugging percentage, 82 homers and 313 RBIs in 794 games.