CLEVELAND — As much as Guardians manager Stephen Vogt would like to live closer to his family during the baseball season, he has no intention of leaving Cleveland. His pitching coach, Carl Willis, is sticking around, too.
Vogt and his family have resided in Olympia, Wash., for the past 19 years, where his wife, Alyssa, has extended family. The Seattle Mariners, who play home games about an hour from their house, are searching for a new manager. Guardians president Chris Antonetti said the Mariners have not inquired about Vogt. They have seen speculation, though. And they shot it down.
“I’m coming back,” Vogt said Thursday.
Vogt is signed for next season and beyond, and Antonetti said he has “every expectation that Vogt is going to manage here for a really long time.” Antonetti refused to specify the terms of Vogt’s deal.
Vogt has three children, with his oldest starting high school last month. He said he and his wife have discussed relocating to Cleveland “every year,” but they don’t want to yank their kids out of their comfort zones. His wife and kids spend most of their summer in Cleveland, and they make trips to Arizona for spring training and to the club’s playoff games.
“(Alyssa) reminds me every day that I’m where I’m supposed to be and I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” Vogt said. “She jokes: ‘We don’t need you anyway.’
“The worst part of my job is being away from my family.”
Vogt served as bullpen coach in Seattle for one year in 2023 following a playing career that spanned 10 big-league seasons. He got to know Tony Arnerich and Andy McKay that year, and recruited them to his coaching staff in Cleveland last winter.
“Our home and our family is the most sacred thing to us,” Vogt said. “We love the Cleveland area. We love our summer here. I love living here. I just wish I could be in two places at once.”
Vogt and Antonetti said they expect the entire coaching staff to return, with the caveat that another team could ask to interview someone for a better position.
That includes Willis, the heralded pitching coach who will turn 66 in December. Willis has taken some time to decide in recent winters, but he indicated to the Guardians in recent weeks that he was leaning toward continuing his career. He confirmed that decision this week.
“He’s given a ton to this organization,” Antonetti said, “and he is insanely competitive and wants to win a World Series.”
Willis has been Cleveland’s pitching coach since October 2017. He also filled the role for seven seasons under Eric Wedge from 2003 to 2009 and was an instructor in the organization for more than five years before that.
Vogt has been the Guardians’ manager since replacing Terry Francona after the 2023 season. He was named American League manager of the year in his first two seasons, and has guided the Guardians to the AL Central title in all three years. They have reached the AL Championship Series twice.
“We’re not satisfied with where we are,” Antonetti said, “and Vogt has been a big part of getting us to this point and is going to be a big part of pushing us further.”