Phillies extend manager Rob Thomson through 2027 season

ORLANDO, Fla. — Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has spoken in the past about his preference to avoid having a lame-duck manager. He won’t have to deal with that situation in 2026.

The Phillies announced Tuesday that they extended the contract of manager Rob Thomson through the 2027 season, preventing him from entering next season under the final year of his deal. He has a 346-251 record since taking over as manager during the 2022 season.

“I’m still enjoying it,” Thomson said. “I love the organization. This is the only place I want to go.”

Thomson, 62, finished third in National League Manager of the Year voting this year after the Phillies went 96-66 to win their second NL East division title in a row. But the club once again lost in the NL Division Series to spoil a strong regular season. After a surprise NL pennant run in Thomson’s first year, the Phillies have stagnated in October.

Still, the Phillies under Thomson have had one of the most successful runs in franchise history. His .580 career winning percentage is the best mark of any qualified Phillies manager. Thomson and his group of players — which will reportedly still include Kyle Schwarber for the next five seasons — just have one last objective they’ve yet to reach: a World Series championship.

Thomson has said that his current role has been a dream job and that Philadelphia will be his last stop on the field. Unless the Phillies perform worse than expected and decide to change direction in the meantime, he’ll be staying until at least 2027.

“I don’t want to go anyplace else whenever I’m done,” Thomson said, “because I love the people and I love the organization, from the owner to Dave, to all our player-development people. It’s just a group of people that really come together and want to win baseball games and want to win a championship, and that’s what I love.”