Not very often is there controversy about a team’s manager leaving after three straight division titles. A unique situation is unfolding for Cleveland Guardians’ skipper Stephen Vogt as the Seattle Mariners look to be in play for a change of scenery.
It is not common, but managers are able to be traded from one team to another.
The Mariners fired manager Dan Wilson after their season, and the position remains open. Vogt has family in Washington, and moving to Seattle would allow him to be closer to them. He is also familiar with the organization, as he was their bullpen coach in 2023. From a purely baseball perspective, Vogt may look at the Mariners’ job as a new opportunity.
The Guardians’ job is better suited for a first-time manager. Their refusal to spend money on the roster handcuffs the decisions that have to be made throughout a season. Vogt is a two-time Manager of the Year, and he has described aspects of managing, setting the lineup, and bullpen usage as “collaborative” with the front office. The Mariners spend more money and may allow him to have the autonomy to make nightly decisions without influence from beyond the dugout.
The front office has proved that they are among the best in the entire league at getting the most out of a low payroll. Vogt has seen the ceiling of what their philosophy can achieve, and Seattle presents a chance to manage a roster that fits what he wants to do, rather than a roster that he has to squeeze wins out of.
However, making a trade for a manager is tough. Vogt signed an extension after the 2024 season for an undisclosed number of years. The Guardians do not have to trade him if Seattle calls, and if they do, they can get a return. The last manager to get traded was in 2011 with Chicago White Sox traded Ozzie Guillen to the Florida Marlins for two minor league prospects.
Guillen was heading into the last year of his contract, which the White Sox were not going to extend. The Marlins extended the contract following the trade. Vogt’s situation is completely different, with the contract length and lack of animosity between the parties.
Vogt is very familiar with the organization and has been to the postseason in every season he’s managed. He has a good thing going with the team, and his relationship with the players is the advantage the team has to make up for the lack of payroll. He has gone to two ALCS’ and has seen the growth of all the young players throughout his time. It would be tough not to see all his work through with the players he developed.
The connection to the Mariners’ manager’s job is obvious, and from a baseball standpoint, Vogt can realistically be in a new dugout next season. However, he can also realistically stay and continue to win in Cleveland.
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