After being eliminated by the New York Mets in the National League Division Series, the Philadelphia Phillies have extended manager Rob Thomson‘s contract through the 2026 season. On Tuesday, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement and also confirmed that the entire coaching staff will return for the 2025 season.
“Year by year is good with me,” the Sarnia, Ont. native said Tuesday. “I’ve mentioned many times this is the only place I want to be. This will be my last stop.”
Thomson, 61, took over as Phillies manager in June 2022 after the club fired Joe Girardi. Thomson led the team to the NL pennant that year and the NLCS in 2023.
Rob Thomson is here to stay. pic.twitter.com/lKBUgp3LUk
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 15, 2024
Phillies Extend Rob Thomson Through 2026 Season
The Phillies made a remarkable turnaround under Thomson, ending their ten-season postseason drought with a Wild Card berth and reaching the World Series before losing to the Houston Astros. Philadelphia removed the interim tag from Thomson’s title during their postseason run and signed him to a two-year extension. The Phillies reached the postseason again as a Wild Card team in 2023, losing in the NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games. This season, Thomson led the Phillies to the NL East division title, the franchise’s first division title since 2011.
Dombrowski said it was important for the team not to enter the 2026 season with a lame-duck manager.
“He’s done a good job for us, been a very successful manager,” Dombrowski said. “There’s been very few clubs in baseball that have made the postseason three years in a row. He has done that. We’ve been a very good club under his guidance. It’s also one where I think stability in the manager’s spot, I don’t think going into the manager’s last year is ever a good situation to be in, if you can prevent that from happening. He deserves the extension in that regard.”
Thomson had no managerial experience when taking over for Girardi. Thomson’s extensive MLB experience includes a decade on the Yankees’ coaching staff, serving as bench coach (2008, 2015-17) and third base coach (2009-14). He had been with the Phillies since 2018 when he was hired as bench coach under former manager Gabe Kapler.
Main Photo: © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
