After leading the Phillies to back-to-back National League Championship Series appearances and one NL pennant, manager Rob Thomson signed a contract extension with the team through the 2025 season, the Phillies announced Monday.
Thomson was set to enter the final year of his two-year deal this season after taking over as interim manager on June 3, 2022, after the Phillies fired Joe Girardi. The club removed the interim tag from Thomson’s title on Oct. 10, 2022, after he led Philadelphia to a wild-card round sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals and its first playoff series victory since 2010. The Phillies went on to win the 2022 NL pennant before falling to the Houston Astros in the World Series.
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The Phillies reached the NLCS again in 2023, dropping the series to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a full seven-game set. Philadelphia went 90-72 during the regular season and finished second in the NL East.
Philly Rob 🫡 pic.twitter.com/l9RSNMvNpJ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) December 4, 2023
From potential retirement to contract extension
Before he became the interim manager in June 2022 and led the Phillies to the World Series, Thomson decided it would be his last year in baseball. He was at peace with what he did in the game as a longtime behind-the-scenes man.
So much has changed since, and the extension reflects that. During the 2023 NLCS, someone asked Thomson if he still thought about retirement. “No,” he said. “I’m having too much fun right now.” The Phillies fell short of another pennant, but they believe Thomson is the right person to continue guiding them.
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Phillies' Rob Thomson intended 2022 to be his final season. Then everything changed
And, by doing this extension, they remove any potential awkwardness about Thomson serving as a lame-duck manager in 2024. He was entering the final year of a two-year contract he signed during the 2022 postseason. At that point, the Phillies needed to know if Thomson was committed to staying in baseball.
Now, both sides see value in continuity. — Matt Gelb, Phillies beat writer
Thomson’s reputation among players
Thomson is admired by his players for his steadiness. It’s a trait that might frustrate people outside of the dugout because Thomson is not reactionary, but his coaches and players are loyal because they know where they stand.
The Phillies have managed to keep most of Thomson’s staff intact; it’s helped generate clearer messages to the players. Before, the Phillies had a constant churn of pitching and hitting coaches.
No manager has spent three consecutive full seasons with the Phillies since Charlie Manuel was fired in 2013. If Thomson remains in place through the duration of this contract extension, he’ll have accomplished that. — Gelb
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(Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today)
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