Rob Thomson Agrees to 2-Year Contract as Phillies Manager; Interim Tag Removed

The Philadelphia Phillies announced Monday they removed the interim tag from manager Rob Thomson and signed him to a two-year contract extension.

Philadelphia went 65-46 after Thomson took over for Joe Girardi in June. The 59-year-old guided the team to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

"I could not be prouder of the group of players, coaches and staff that have made this all possible," Thomson said of the deal. "This is a great group, one that has shown resiliency and overcome adversity all season to get us where we are today. I am honored and humbled to continue as manager of this club."

The Phillies swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card series and open the divisional round Tuesday against the NL East rival Atlanta Braves.

Their on-field success made Monday's move inevitable. As long as he wanted the job, Thomson delivered over a big enough sample to warrant a longer stay in the dugout.

A two-year deal also provides Philly with a bit of an escape route if the pace it set to close out 2022 isn't matched next season. Considering Girardi, a manager who won a World Series title with the New York Yankees, didn't get three full years, the front office may not exercise a lot of patience with his successor.

Depending on how the rest of the playoffs will unfold, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may need to make some tweaks to the roster to get the Phillies to the next level. By tying Thomson down now, Dombrowski at least took care of one piece of offseason business.