Guardians manager Stephen Vogt says he'll be back with club, dismisses rumors about move to Mariners

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt dispelled speculation about his future, saying he'll return to the club next season to chase an elusive World Series title.“I'm here,” Vogt said at a news conference Thursday. “I'm coming back.”Vogt has led the Guardians to a division crown in each of his three seasons, He has twice been named AL Manager of the Year. With the Seattle Mariners' managerial spot open, there had been rumblings about Vogt possibly leaving in order to be closer to his family's home in Olympia, Washington.However, the 41-year-old Vogt said he has not been contacted by the Mariners, who fired Dan Wilson last month following a disappointing 76-86 season.Vogt spent one season as Seattle's bullpen coach in 2023 before being hired by Cleveland and that relationship helped fuel theories about a departure.“I'll be in Cleveland,” Vogt said three days after the Guardians were eliminated in the AL Championship Series by Tampa Bay. “I have not gotten a phone call. It was all just media (driven).”While Vogt is adamant he's staying, it remains possible the Mariners could call the Guardians with a trade offer. Though rare, trades involving managers in Major League Baseball are not unprecedented, with the most recent involving John Farrell going from Boston to Toronto in 2012.Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was asked about a potential pitch from the Mariners.“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 contract extension with Cleveland following the 2024 season. That deal was never made public and the club's secrecy about the contract's terms may have played a part in the rumors about a move.A father of three, Vogt has been open about the difficulty in being away from his loved ones over an extended period. His wife, Alyssa, and their kids join him in the summer, but the months apart are hard on him.“It’s not just since I’ve been here. This has been my whole playing career,” said Vogt, who played with six teams from 2012-2022. “It’s very difficult living on the other side of the country, especially with my kids’ age. 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.”As for the job he did this season with Cleveland, Vogt deserves praise.One of the league's youngest teams, the Guardians regrouped from a sluggish first half and, bolstered by several trade deadline acquisitions, caught Chicago and won the division. They then rallied from a 0-2 deficit to stun the White Sox in the Division Series.Cleveland's magic disappeared against the Rays, extending baseball's current longest World Series drought to 76 years.Through it all, Vogt believed the '26 Guardians would prevail.“There was a belief that we were just going to do it,” he said. “We were never out of it. It wasn’t like '25 where we did this historical comeback, needed a bunch of help. We controlled our destiny and we went out and grabbed it and took it.”Vogt, Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff addressed several other topics, including:— Pitching coach Carl Willis will return for a 15th season in two stints with Cleveland. Willis, 65, has helped develop five Cy Young winners during his career.“He’s given a ton to this organization and is insanely competitive,” Antonetti said. “He really wants to win a World Series in Cleveland for Cleveland.”— Vogt reiterated that the curious lack of postseason use for starter Tanner Bibee was because the team wanted to lean on its left-handed pitchers. Vogt said he spoke with an “upset” Bibee before Game 6 of the ALCS.“We ended up talking about a lot more than just baseball and had a similar conversation in his exit interview,” Vogt said. “It was very candid. It was very open. He spoke his mind and we gave him our reasoning. Tanner’s going to be a huge part of this team for a long time and I’m really excited about that.”___See AP’s full MLB coverage here