Stephen Vogt expresses excitement for young stars ahead of 2026 Guardians season

The annual MLB Winter Meetings kicked off in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, and Manager Stephen Vogt met with the media and had a lot of positive things to say about the roster, including two budding stars.

Vogt has said the team is not satisfied after winning the division title; he wants to win it all, and it begins with the young stars and current roster.

While speaking on a panel with Tom Verducci, Vogt was asked about Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter and what kind of roles they will play in 2026.

Regarding DeLauter, Vogt said, “We saw it with Chase in the postseason, and we’ve known this kid can hit. He’s just had a hard time staying on the field. He has had a great offseason. We need to keep him healthy through Spring Training because the sky is the limit for Chase.”

Vogt mentioned DeLauter’s power and his defensive ability in the outfield in his praise.

When discussing Travis Bazzana, who had a lot of his time limited last year due to injury, Vogt admits time has been limited one-on-one, but he expects to see the greatness.

“I haven’t seen a whole lot of him because of the injuries, so I’m really excited to watch Travis play this Spring and get to know him better, but there is a lot to be excited about.”

There is a great likelihood that Chase DeLauter makes the Opening Day roster. MLB currently has DeLauter as their centerfielder and batting in the middle of the lineup in 2026.

Bazzana may need some more time in the minor leagues before his call-up. As Vogt alluded to, Bazzana faced multiple oblique injuries in 2025, limiting him to 302 at-bats. Bazzana’s average was only .245, but his OPS was .813, and he had 12 steals. The potential is clear for Bazzana; he will likely just need some more work in the minors and be a call-up in the middle of the season to give the team a boost.

Vogt was also asked about Kyle Manzardo and what role he expects him to have next season. Manzardo was second on the team in home runs, with 27, but had a .234 average and only a .768 OPS. His power is worth keeping on the roster, but is he an everyday player?

“Manzo really took a huge step forward in his first full season, but what we really saw was a lot of growth defensively, which is huge. Kyle is going to hit. It doesn’t matter," Vogt said. "No matter where he goes, he is going to hit, and, you know, to put up 27 homers in your first full season there is a lot to be excited for, he is going to keep learning and keep getting better.”

Manzardo is only 25 years old and can play a serviceable first base, but still only played 56 games there last season and accumulated a -1.8 DWAR. Also, Vogt did say ‘wherever he goes’ as if it was uncertain he would be on the roster and may be in trade talks. Manzardo’s power is something to behold, but his defensive liability and the fact that he is another lefty in a lefty-filled lineup may make him expendable when pursuing other, more certain options.

The last player Vogt talked about was catcher Bo Naylor. As a former catcher, Vogt knows the brutal beatings catchers take throughout the baseball season.

“For Bo, he made a huge adjustment to his lower half, and it was in the second half that we saw him; his misses were better. He was getting more clutch hits," Vogt said. "He just has that knack of coming through, and you can’t teach that. He’s got some things he is still working on with his swing, but I think Bo is going to have a breakout offensive season.”

It is par for the course for a Manager to praise his roster, especially after a division title. But the Guardians, simply put, were bad offensively. Banking on players like Manzardo and Naylor to keep improving is risky. Banking on young players to be great off the bat is risky. The Guardians need to make a push at the Winter Meetings to improve their offense.

Yes, as Vogt said, there are pieces to really love this season, but there are still holes that need to be filled.