Following a second straight disappointing postseason, including a nightmare ending in Los Angeles against the eventual back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers in the NLDS, the Philadelphia Phillies decided to stick with manager Rob Thomson, who was under contract through the 2026 season.
Less than two months later, the Phillies have doubled down on Thomson, announcing Tuesday that they’ve extended him through the 2027 season. Their announcement came minutes after ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the team is re-signing free-agent designated hitter Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million deal.
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Schwarber, 32, mashed 56 home runs this past season — the second-most in Phillies history and the most of any NL player in 2025 — and piled up 132 RBI while tying the highest OPS (.928) of his career.
Not only is the power-surged lefty one of the best sluggers in the game right now, as evidenced by the three-time All-Star’s four straight seasons with at least 38 home runs and his marked improvement against left-handed pitching, but he’s also an indelible clubhouse leader.
The Phillies ponied up to bring him back, and they could re-sign 34-year-old catcher J.T. Realmuto as well. That means Thomson is in position to retain the aging core of a team that won its second straight NL East title this year before again quickly bowing out of the postseason.
Several of the players still on the roster were within reach of a World Series championship during the 2022 season, Thomson’s first at the helm after he took over for a fired Joe Girardi. The Phillies rallied to make the playoffs that year and caught fire in October, with 11 postseason victories before they fell in six games to the Houston Astros in the World Series.
In 2023, the Phillies returned to the playoffs as a wild-card team and looked like they were going to make another run to an NL pennant. Except that time, they blew a 2-0 NLCS lead to the Arizona Diamondbacks and lost in seven games.
In the two seasons since, Philadelphia has ended a 13-year drought without an NL East title and then delivered another first-place finish in the division. But the Phillies have regressed in the postseason, most recently with their top three hitters — Schwarber, two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper and three-time All-Star Trea Turner — going 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts in the first two games of this year’s NLDS versus the Dodgers.
The bats going cold when they’re supposed to be hot in the Phillies’ “Red October” has been an issue for Thomson, who hasn’t been absolved of the postseason blame, either.
Even so, he has remained in favor with the organization, and he has supported his players through their ups and downs. He has more talent on the way, too, with pitcher Andrew Painter, outfielder Justin Crawford and infielder Aidan Miller expected to debut soon.
Thomson has been on the Phillies’ staff since 2018. Before that, he was with the New York Yankees from 2008 to ’17, winning a ring in 2009 when the Yankees beat the Phillies in the World Series.
He’s the third Phillies manager to lead the team to consecutive division titles. His managerial winning percentage (.580) is first all time in the organization’s history.
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