CLEVELAND — As the American League Division Series rolled along on Tuesday, Guardians executives Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff and Matt Forman, and manager Stephen Vogt, sat side by side in a multipurpose room inside Progressive Field.
Here are four key takeaways from Tuesday’s end-of-season media session.
1. Continuity on coaching staff?
Vogt said the Guardians intend for the entire coaching staff to be back in 2026. But given there are seven managerial openings across MLB, there will be new opportunities across the game, and Cleveland expects other teams to be interested in talking to its coaches.
Vogt spoke effusively about pitching coach Carl Willis and the job he did leading Cleveland’s staff once more. As he has done in recent years, Willis will take time to reflect on the season and contemplate his next steps, Vogt said. The Guardians would love to have him back in 2026; they finished fourth in MLB with a 3.70 ERA this season behind Willis’ steady guidance.
“Carl’s presence is invaluable, let alone his ability to develop pitching and help these guys continue to grow,” Vogt said. “The ball is in his court at all times. As long as I’m here and he’s wanting to be here, Carl Willis will be our pitching coach. … We intend to have him back if that’s what he would like to do.”
2. Clase and Ortiz’s status
The Guardians’ decision makers did not have any new info on Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both of whom were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July amid ongoing MLB investigations involving sports gambling. But Cleveland knows it must prepare for all possible outcomes, including the chance neither will pitch for the organization again.
“That’s the only thing we really can do, is plan for that,” Antonetti said. “And if we get information that’s otherwise, we would then think about, ‘How do we reintegrate those guys into the organization?’ But for our planning purposes, I think we have to plan as if they won’t be here, and then adjust if needed.”
Ortiz went on administrative leave on July 3, and Clase followed on July 28. Cleveland acquired Ortiz from the Pirates on Dec. 10 in a trade involving Spencer Horwitz; he recorded a 4.36 ERA over 16 starts. Clase has a 1.84 ERA and a franchise record 24 saves in five seasons with Cleveland.
3. No Fall League for DeLauter
After getting his first taste of the big leagues with two appearances in the American League Wild Card Series, Chase DeLauter will not play in the Arizona Fall League this year as originally scheduled. He expressed to Cleveland’s brass that he felt he would be best served for next year (when he is expected to compete for an Opening Day roster spot) by solely focusing on his body and conditioning this offseason.
“He took a lot out of the brief opportunity he had to be up here [in the Majors] and be exposed to the environment,” Antonetti said. “I think it also helped him, in his words, create a sense of confidence that he belongs and can compete up here.”
4. Surgery for Fry and Enright
The initial hope was David Fry would avoid surgery following the scary moment on Sept. 23 when he was struck in the face by a Tarik Skubal pitch. But he underwent a procedure in Cleveland on Tuesday for a deviated septum and a fractured nose.
Reliever Nic Enright also is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming weeks, which could sideline him for all of 2026. The right-hander made his MLB debut on May 25 after his long road to the Majors, which included being diagnosed with Stage 2 nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December 2022.
Enright recorded a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings over 27 appearances while emerging as a key cog in Vogt’s bullpen.
