Phillies Hire Dave Dombrowski as Next President of Baseball Operations

Dombrowski will replace Matt Klentak, who stepped down this offseason after five years with the Phillies.

The Phillies have hired Dave Dombrowski as their next president of baseball operations.

The accomplished executive will replace Matt Klentak, who stepped down this offseason after five years with the franchise.

The Athletic's Jayson Stark first reported on Thursday that the hiring was imminent.

Dombrowski brings decades of experience to the Phillies. He served as the general manager or president of baseball operations with the Expos, Marlins, Tigers and Red Sox. Most recently, Dombrowski was the architect of the 2018 Red Sox squad that won 108 regular-season games and claimed the franchise's fourth World Series title in 20 years. He was fired less than a year later after clashes with ownership. 

The 64-year-old's arrival in Philadelphia stands in contrast with a set of recent comments he made to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. He told Rosenthal that earlier this year he moved to Nashville and signed on to help the city try and acquire an MLB franchise.

Following his hiring with the Phillies, Dombrowski will remain as an advisor to Music City Baseball, a group involved in bringing an expansion team or relocating an MLB franchise to Nashville.

According to Stark, Phillies managing partner John Middleton approached Dombrowski earlier this week and the two sides had been in constant communication the last few days.

In joining the Phillies, Dombrowski would be taking over a franchise that has not made the postseason since 2011. Over that span, the franchise has had five full-time managers, the most recent being Joe Girardi.