The Cleveland Guardians have won three consecutive AL Central titles. They have gone to two American League Championship Series in the last three years, so yes: even if it sometimes doesn’t seem like it, they are actually flirting with a World Series title.
Manager Stephen Vogt is a big part of what the Guardians have built over the last three years. He took a team that missed the postseason in 2023 and led it to the AL Championship Series the following season, winning Manager of the Year honors in 2024 and 2025.
Plenty of young players who are currently part of the Guardians’ core were developed under Vogt. The skipper announced on Thursday that he will be back to lead Cleveland in 2027, and hopes to be part of this project for many years to come. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said that the organization wants him to stay long-term, so it didn’t make sense for him to consider other teams. Vogt is in for the long haul.
Not only did he have a huge influence in building the current Guardians, but Vogt believes a World Series title, the first one since 1948, is ‘close’.
“I think we’re close. You could see a lot of signs in this team. You could really envision this team playing this next round and winning it. I really love the trajectory we’re on. We have to make some improvements. We have to continue to move the needle and get better. But each year, our guys are going to continue to gain more and more and more experience, and that’s only going to help them get better,” Vogt said.
"I really love the trajectory run. We have to make some improvements. We have to continue to move the needle and get better. But each year, our guys are going to continue to gain more and more and more experience, and that's only going to help them get better."#Guardians… https://t.co/3taFORzzKJ pic.twitter.com/Ef83BtXaZ9
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 22, 2026
It’s hard to argue with the man who helped build all this, not to mention the one who knows each player, young or veteran, and what they can offer. He is right when he suggests that the Guardians are on an upward trajectory, and the evidence backs it up. They are just a few pieces away from putting together a team that can go to the World Series and win it, but some significant investments are needed to get them over the hump.
This time, the Guardians were just a couple of wins away from reaching the Fall Classic. If they maintain their core and add a couple of star-level players to it, they could go all the way.
With the way the ownership operates, however, it’s definitely a big ‘if’.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Just How Much Austin Hedges Means To Guardians
