The Phillies are sticking with their skipper. Manager Rob Thomson’s contract has been extended through the 2026 season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced Tuesday morning. The entire coaching staff will also return for next season.
Thomson, 61, has steered the Phillies to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, highlighted by an NL pennant run in 2022. This year, he guided the club to its first NL East title since 2011. However, the postseason ended in disappointment, with the team falling to the Mets in the NLDS after a four-game sweep.
"This is the only place I want to be," Thomson remarked. "This will be my last stop."
Taking over as manager on an interim basis in June 2022 after Joe Girardi's dismissal, Thomson seized his first opportunity to lead at the major league level. He is the first manager in Phillies history to reach the postseason in each of his first three seasons, boasting a .575 winning percentage—the highest among all skippers in franchise history.
Despite this success, questions lingered about Thomson and his staff's future following the team’s underwhelming postseason performance.
“Anytime you have a disappointing finish, which we did, it’s hard to put that on their backs," Dombrowski said. "We all share collectively in what happened. Putting it on any of their individual backs isn’t right.”
Entering the All-Star break with a remarkable 28-game advantage over .500, the Phillies faltered in the second half, finishing at a mediocre 33-33. This inconsistency, combined with a modest plus-four run differential, starkly contrasted their first-half dominance. Particularly concerning was their offensive inconsistency, culminating in a dismal .186 batting average during the NLDS—well below their .260 mark for the regular season.
On Tuesday, Thomson backed hitting coach Kevin Long despite the team's offensive woes. The Phillies recorded one of the highest chase rates in baseball at 30.3%, with several young players struggling to meet developmental expectations. Brandon Marsh’s struggles against left-handed pitching limited his role; he finished with a .192 average and a .552 OPS versus southpaws. Bryson Stott also regressed, seeing his batting average plummet from .280 last year to .245 this season, while his OPS+ dropped from 103 to 89.
The offensive difficulties extended into the postseason, as Marsh, Stott, and Alec Bohm managed just 4-for-37 in the NLDS, highlighting broader concerns at the plate. The disappointing finish has sparked conversations about the Phillies' hitting philosophy, particularly regarding the development of their younger talent.
Yet, Thomson remains steadfast in his faith in Long's abilities. “If you talk to any baseball person and ask them to name their top five hitting coaches, he’s going to be on almost every list and likely number one on a lot of them,” Thomson said. “I think we need to get them to buy into using the whole field. It’ll cut down on chase and give us a better chance for base hits.”
It’s unlikely that Dombrowski and owner John Middleton are content to run a flawed lineup out again in 2025 and gamble on a World Series run. Instead, the organization will likely pursue improvements through the free agent market and trades.
"We have to be open-minded to exploring what's out there for us, talk to some clubs, and see what's happening," Dombrowski said. "That process hasn't started; sometimes, you trade good players for good players."
The Phillies' roster isn't particularly flexible. While they’ll be connected to the biggest free agent prize in outfielder Juan Soto, so will the Yankees and Mets. As much as Middleton may want to win, those two organizations may have an easier time accommodating the historic contract Soto will demand.
That leaves players like Stott, Marsh, Bohm, Johan Rojas, Ranger Suarez, and potentially others as trade chips.
When asked if the club needs another superstar to get over the hump, Dombrowski was noncommittal.
"John [Middleton] is very accommodating and giving, but you're also working with a payroll.... You have to be careful because sometimes it’s the star players, but sometimes it's the supporting cast," Dombrowski said. "We had eight All-Stars—that’s more than anybody in baseball. If you look at our rotation, the top four, I don’t know if there’s a better rotation in baseball."
Thomson, 61, has steered the Phillies to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, highlighted by an NL pennant run in 2022. This year, he guided the club to its first NL East title since 2011. However, the postseason ended in disappointment, with the team falling to the Mets in the NLDS after a four-game sweep.
"This is the only place I want to be," Thomson remarked. "This will be my last stop."
Taking over as manager on an interim basis in June 2022 after Joe Girardi's dismissal, Thomson seized his first opportunity to lead at the major league level. He is the first manager in Phillies history to reach the postseason in each of his first three seasons, boasting a .575 winning percentage—the highest among all skippers in franchise history.
Despite this success, questions lingered about Thomson and his staff's future following the team’s underwhelming postseason performance.
“Anytime you have a disappointing finish, which we did, it’s hard to put that on their backs," Dombrowski said. "We all share collectively in what happened. Putting it on any of their individual backs isn’t right.”
Entering the All-Star break with a remarkable 28-game advantage over .500, the Phillies faltered in the second half, finishing at a mediocre 33-33. This inconsistency, combined with a modest plus-four run differential, starkly contrasted their first-half dominance. Particularly concerning was their offensive inconsistency, culminating in a dismal .186 batting average during the NLDS—well below their .260 mark for the regular season.
On Tuesday, Thomson backed hitting coach Kevin Long despite the team's offensive woes. The Phillies recorded one of the highest chase rates in baseball at 30.3%, with several young players struggling to meet developmental expectations. Brandon Marsh’s struggles against left-handed pitching limited his role; he finished with a .192 average and a .552 OPS versus southpaws. Bryson Stott also regressed, seeing his batting average plummet from .280 last year to .245 this season, while his OPS+ dropped from 103 to 89.
The offensive difficulties extended into the postseason, as Marsh, Stott, and Alec Bohm managed just 4-for-37 in the NLDS, highlighting broader concerns at the plate. The disappointing finish has sparked conversations about the Phillies' hitting philosophy, particularly regarding the development of their younger talent.
Yet, Thomson remains steadfast in his faith in Long's abilities. “If you talk to any baseball person and ask them to name their top five hitting coaches, he’s going to be on almost every list and likely number one on a lot of them,” Thomson said. “I think we need to get them to buy into using the whole field. It’ll cut down on chase and give us a better chance for base hits.”
It’s unlikely that Dombrowski and owner John Middleton are content to run a flawed lineup out again in 2025 and gamble on a World Series run. Instead, the organization will likely pursue improvements through the free agent market and trades.
"We have to be open-minded to exploring what's out there for us, talk to some clubs, and see what's happening," Dombrowski said. "That process hasn't started; sometimes, you trade good players for good players."
The Phillies' roster isn't particularly flexible. While they’ll be connected to the biggest free agent prize in outfielder Juan Soto, so will the Yankees and Mets. As much as Middleton may want to win, those two organizations may have an easier time accommodating the historic contract Soto will demand.
That leaves players like Stott, Marsh, Bohm, Johan Rojas, Ranger Suarez, and potentially others as trade chips.
When asked if the club needs another superstar to get over the hump, Dombrowski was noncommittal.
"John [Middleton] is very accommodating and giving, but you're also working with a payroll.... You have to be careful because sometimes it’s the star players, but sometimes it's the supporting cast," Dombrowski said. "We had eight All-Stars—that’s more than anybody in baseball. If you look at our rotation, the top four, I don’t know if there’s a better rotation in baseball."
(Breaking, editing, more to come)
