Stephen Vogt spent the All-Star break the way a manager probably should: away from the noise, away from the grind, and far enough from baseball to actually reset. He and his family went to Disney World in Orlando for three days, joined by Orioles manager and close friend Craig Albernaz and his family, before Vogt turned his attention back to the Guardians.
That’s the same approach he wants from his team as Cleveland heads into the stretch run.
“It’s just so important to turn your brain off to baseball for a few days,” Vogt said. “I think we lose sight that these guys are doing this every single day.”
For Vogt, the value of the break goes beyond sore arms and tired legs. The pause gives players a chance to step away from whatever the first half handed them - the good, the bad, and everything in between - and come back with a cleaner head.
“Whether you’ve loved what you’ve done the first three and a half months or you’re angry or you’re in between, it kind of allows you to not have to do it and then get your mind on, ‘OK, here’s what I want to accomplish over the next two and a half months,’” he said.
When the Guardians came back together Friday, Vogt liked the look of the room. Cleveland had won four straight before the break, and he said the energy matched that run.
“Everybody loves the break... but these guys all walked in smiling, ready to go,” Vogt said. “This group proved something to themselves that last week... they played four excellent games going into the break.”
Vogt also kept tabs on Parker Messick, Cade Smith and Travis Bazzana while they represented Cleveland in Philadelphia. He didn’t catch every pitch, but he liked what he saw.
“Getting to see Parker and Cade from that angle, no wonder,” Vogt said. “It doesn’t get much more impressive than those two innings... We were well represented by our three guys and it was fun to watch them all do it.”
There’s also a little history working in Cleveland’s favor. Since 2016, the Guardians have gone 367-274 (.573) after the All-Star break, the third-best second-half record in baseball over that span. Last season, they were even better, finishing with an MLB-best 42-25 record after the break.
The second half begins with Cleveland at 51-46, good for the second AL Wild Card spot and second place in the AL Central.
The trade deadline, set for Aug. 3, is the other big storyline hanging over the clubhouse. Vogt said the usual questions are in the air, but this year’s crowded playoff race makes the whole market harder to read.
“Who’s going to add? Who’s going to subtract?”
Vogt said. “I heard today it’s like 23 teams are within four games of a playoff spot right now.
I think the next two weeks are going to tell us a lot.”
Even with the speculation swirling, Vogt isn’t sounding like a manager waiting for outside help. He likes the roster he already has, especially the way the young hitters have started to settle in and the rotation has emerged as one of the best in the majors.
“I love our team,” Vogt said. “I love the guys we have. I love the development that we’ve seen with some of our hitters and this pitching staff has just been incredible.”
Cleveland has used only five starting pitchers all season, the only major league team to do so. The rotation ranks among the American League leaders in ERA and innings pitched, and Vogt made it clear the message inside the clubhouse is simple: keep going.
“We need to just keep playing good baseball,” he said. “This team is good enough to make a run, and whatever happens here in a couple of weeks is going to happen.”
In Other News...
Guardians Get One Huge Injury Boost As Another Setback Stings
The Guardians got a welcome dose of good news on the injury front with Jos Ramrez and Angel Martnez both moving in the right direction. Ramrez, coming back from hamate fracture surgery, is trending toward a return that could come without a minor league rehab stop, while Martnez has started his own rehab assignment as he works back from a left foot fracture. For a club trying to keep its lineup and depth chart intact, any progress involving a core bat and a useful role player matters.
Still, the day was not all encouraging. First baseman CJ Kayfus had to undergo ankle surgery after suffering a fibular fracture and ligament injury in a minor league game, a setback that hits both the player and the organizations depth planning. The Guardians are now left balancing the optimism around two recoveries with the more sobering reality of another long road back, and the next question is how quickly the roster can absorb both kinds of news at once. [Read more 🡒]
Four Former Guardians Could Suddenly Put Cleveland Back In Deadline Talk
A month out from the Aug. 3 trade deadline, four familiar names could wind up back in the rumor mill for reasons that matter to Cleveland. Josh Bell, Tyler Freeman, Sam Hentges and Lane Thomas all have different paths, different contract situations and different kinds of appeal, which is exactly why they have surfaced as possible pieces in other clubs deadline calculations. For a Guardians team that knows how quickly the market can shift, the intrigue is less about nostalgia than about whether any of these former players become useful leverage for someone else.
Bells one-year deal and Freemans years of control give them very different kinds of value, while Hentges has rebuilt enough stock after arm injuries to draw attention again. Thomas is the wild card, especially with Kansas City sliding hard and every roster decision getting harder to justify as the deadline nears. None of it guarantees movement, but it does leave Cleveland watching a corner of the market where old friends could suddenly become relevant again. [Read more 🡒]
Cade Smith Opens Up About His Proudest Guardians All-Star Moment
Cade Smiths first All-Star experience gave the Guardians right-hander a little bit of everything, from the rush of the weekend to the chance to pitch on one of baseballs biggest stages. He handled his inning well in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, working a scoreless frame with two strikeouts, but what stood out most for him was the chance to be around the game in a different way than he usually is during the season.
Smith said the best part was getting to talk with players from other teams in a normal, non-competitive setting, a rare break from the usual grind. He also appreciated sharing the moment with teammates and taking pride in representing both Cleveland and the American League, a reminder that even in an event built around stars, the experience can mean as much off the field as it does on it. [Read more 🡒]