Phillies, Rob Thomson Agree to Contract Extension Through 2025 amid MLB Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Monday that manager Rob Thomson has signed a contract extension keeping him with the club through the 2025 season.

The team also announced that Dustin Lind and Rafael Peña were hired as assistant hitting coaches for Thomson's MLB coaching staff.

Thomson, 60, took over as the team's interim manager in June 2022 after Joe Girardi was fired and promptly led the team to a 65-46 record down the stretch, a postseason berth as an NL Wild Card and ultimately a trip to the World Series.

The Phillies appointed him the full-time manager in Oct. 2022, signing him to a two-year deal.

"I think all of us put it in [president of baseball operations David Dombrowski's] ear a little bit. We respect Thomson so much, what he's done for us. He loves this game and works hard and understands what his players need," superstar Bryce Harper said at the time. "He really deserves it. I'm super happy for him."

Thomson lived up to the appointment in his first full season as Phillies manager, leading the team to a 90-72 record and a berth in the NLCS. While the season ultimately ended in disappointment for the Phillies, losing in Game 7 to the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks, the team has remained a contender under Thomson's watch.

He isn't without some question marks. His reluctance to go with a steady closer—instead often opting to go with his best relievers in high-leverage situations earlier in games, especially in the postseason—has bitten him at times. And some folks in Philadelphia questioned his decision to never adjust the lineup construction in the NLCS despite a number of the team's hitters struggling.

But in general, the Phillies have been one of the top teams in baseball since Thomson took over. A contract extension, even if only by one season, felt like a formality after another successful year.