Stephen Vogt says he will manage the Guardians in 2027 and the Mariners haven't called

Stephen Vogt is staying in Cleveland. The Guardians manager said Thursday he will return in 2027, and that the Seattle Mariners have not contacted him about their opening.

"I'm here," Vogt said at the team's season-ending news conference, per the AP. "I'm coming back." He added: "I'll be in Cleveland. I have not gotten a phone call."

The Mariners fired Dan Wilson last month after a 76-86 season. Vogt was Seattle's bullpen coach in 2023 before Cleveland hired him, and his family lives in Olympia, Washington, which is how the rumors started.

What the front office said

Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, was asked whether the Mariners might try to pry Vogt loose with a trade. Trades involving managers are rare but have happened.

"I have every expectation that Voter is going to manage here for a really long time," Antonetti said, using Vogt's nickname. "We don't have any interest in Voter managing anywhere else."

Vogt signed a multiyear extension after the 2024 season. The terms were never made public, and the AP noted that the secrecy may have fed the speculation.

The family side

Vogt has been open about how hard it is to be away from his wife and three kids for most of the year. "It's very difficult living on the other side of the country, especially with my kids' age," he said. He called it "the worst part of my job."

The season

The Guardians have won the division in all three of Vogt's seasons, and he has been named AL Manager of the Year twice. This year a young roster caught Chicago in the second half, came back from 0-2 to beat the White Sox in the Division Series, then lost the ALCS to Tampa Bay. Cleveland has not won the World Series in 78 years, the longest current drought in baseball.

Pitching coach Carl Willis, 65, will return for a 15th season with the club, according to the AP and The News-Herald.