CLEVELAND -- Stephen Vogt and the Guardians have proven to be a great match, and behind the scenes, the two sides extended their partnership.
The Guardians extended Vogt’s contract before the 2025 season, a source told MLB.com. The club has not confirmed the extension, which was not publicly announced at the time, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Friday that Vogt signed a new multi-year contract at that time.
At the time of his hiring in November 2023, MLB.com reported that Vogt’s contract was for three years. That meant the ‘26 season would have been the final year on his deal.
Vogt had no prior managerial experience before Cleveland named him the successor to Terry Francona two years ago, and he was only one year removed from retiring as a player. But he has quickly proven to be a steady presence in the dugout and one of the top managers in the Majors.
Through his first two seasons at the helm, Vogt has led the Guardians to a 180-143 record and back-to-back American League Central division titles. Last month, he took home his second consecutive AL Manager of the Year Award to become one of only four skippers in either league (along with Bobby Cox, Kevin Cash and Pat Murphy) to earn the honor in consecutive seasons.
As a rookie manager in 2024, Vogt led Cleveland to a 92-69 record to clinch the division title. The Guardians beat the Tigers in five games in the AL Division Series to advance to the AL Championship Series, where they fell to the Yankees in five games.
In 2025, Vogt led the Guardians to an 88-74 mark and a historic comeback to win their second consecutive division title. Cleveland overcame a 15 1/2-game deficit of Detroit to clinch the AL Central, which marked the largest comeback to win a division (since 1969) or league (pre-’69) in MLB history.
Vogt was a stabilizer for Cleveland through a tumultuous summer in 2025. The Guardians went through a 10-game losing streak (June 26-July 6), saw pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz go on non-disciplinary paid leave in July amid ongoing MLB investigations and had a 1-9 stretch (Aug. 15-25).
“There were a lot of teams that in the second half of the year would have folded, given some of the adversity we faced,” general manager Mike Chernoff said in October in an end-of-season media session. “Obviously, it's a huge credit to the players. But a lot of players at different points, especially in the second half, relied on Vogter and the staff to keep them energized, and it was amazing to see.
“We relied on him for that, to keep just that optimism and that steady presence and culture in the clubhouse. We never looked back. We just looked forward.”
And looking forward, the Vogt and Guardians partnership will continue.