Philadelphia Phillies Extend Contract of Rob Thomson Despite Early Playoff Exit

The Philadelphia Phillies are adding an additional year to the NL East champion's contract

Aug 23, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) in the dugout against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, announced that manager Rob Thomson is receiving a one-year contract extension on Tuesday morning.

Speaking to reporters, Dombrowski explained why they were making the move to push the expiration of Thomson's contract from after the 2025 season to after 2026, as well as returning all of his assistants.

"Well, I think we have a good coaching staff, primarily - they do a very efficient job. They did lead us to 95 wins and they've been with us for a couple of years, in a lot of cases three years and some beyond that. They're very efficient, they do their job well, we have a good manager (and) they work well with the manager - they report directly to him. He would like all his coaches back, so to me it was pretty simple in that regard."

Given how the season ended for the Phillies, losing in their first postseason matchup to the New York Mets, there were some calls among the fanbase to move on from Thomson and install a new manager.

Dombrowski pushed back on that idea, however, stating, "It's hard for me ... anytime you have a disappointing finish, which we did, but it's also hard to put that on their (the coaching staff's) backs in this case."

Thomson just completed his third season in Philadelphia and his second full campaign as the manager.

After predecessor Joe Girardi was fired in 2022 following a 22-29 start to the year, Thomson led the team to a 65-46 finish and a World Series appearance against the Houston Astros. He harnessed the momentum of the deep October run to get the Phillies into the NLCS for the second time in a row last season, this time losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games.

The 2024 campaign saw higher highs and lower lows than the first two, with the Phillies winning their first divisional title since 2011, but also failing to get past their first playoff opponent by losing in the NLDS to the Mets.

Overall, Thomson is 250-185 as Philadelphia's manager, a .575 winning percentage that is the highest among any Phillies manager with at least 300 games coached. He's already 15th in total wins and is one of just nine skippers to have brought Philadelphia a divisional title in their 141-year history.

Under Dombrowski and Thomson, the Phillies have consistently been positioned as one of the best teams in the National League during their time at the helm.

With several superstars signed long-term, including sluggers Bryce Harper and shortstop Trea Turner, and starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, Thomson appears poised to continue his regular season success.