Rob Thomson discusses extending his contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and what the future holds.
According to Foul Territory, the Phillies manager said he wants to stay with the team as long as they want him to.
PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia Phillies Manager Rob Thomson joined Foul Territory on Monday to discuss his time with the team, his plans for the future, and more. “Topper” is 60 years old and joined the club in 2018 as bench coach. He had planned to retire after the 2022 season but was given his first opportunity to manage a major league team after Joe Girardi was fired midway through the season.
He is the first Phils manager to win five games in his first five starts since Pat Moran in 1914.
This is the first time a Phillies manager has won five in a row as a manager for the first time in the history of Major League Baseball. Jim Leyland won his first five in 2006 with the Detroit Tigers.
When asked by Braun how long he would like to manage the Phillies, even if they win a championship in the next couple of years, the bench boss said “I don’t know, because it depends on how I feel and how fun I am.”
“I almost retired from baseball a couple of years ago because I felt I was getting too old,” he said. “But then this job came up, and the people and coaches I have, and learning a new job and learning from it every day, has really energized me. It’s brought me back to love the game and want to go to work every day and be excited.
“As long as that excitement is still there,” he added, “I’ll keep managing as long as the team wants me to.”
Does Rob Thomson Want A Long-Term Contract From The Phillies?
Rob Thomson got the green light from the Phillies’ brass to extend his contract past the 2025 season earlier this off-season when they gave him the green light at their Winter Meetings with President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowkski and GM Sam Fuld.
After leading the team to the 2022 World Series appearance and coming within a game and a half of winning the 2023 Fall Classic, some wondered if he deserved a longer leash.
Rob Thomson took over a 22-29 team last season, and now they’re going to the #WorldSeries!
“Congratulations on your extension,” Kratz said to the skipper. “But do you think you deserve more than that?”
Rob Thomson, the Philadelphia Phillies skipper, says he’s been treated “more than fairly” since his arrival in the city. “I value my relationship with Dave, Sam and John, and I value their relationship with me, too,” he added. “I’m not worried about the length of my deal. I’m more worried about whether this is just a way to avoid questions about my future in 2024 or if this team really wants me here.”
He added that the one-year contract was “a good deal for me.” “I said to Dave, ‘If we’re just doing this to avoid questions, that’s fine,’ and he said, ‘We want you here, so I’m good with it.’
They want him, at least for now. The Phillies are in a rebuild mode, and Thomson’s final two years could be the window the front office needs to win a championship with this team’s core.
He doesn’t think a clause like the one Ohtani had in his deal with the Dodgers would work for him. In a joking moment, he scoffed at the idea that he would ask his players to lobby for an extension or an “assurance clause” like the one he had with Ohtani.
He said, “If you want to be a part of this team, I’m asking you guys to come forward and say that you won’t be pitching on opening day, or the second game, or any other day of the year if I don’t get a 5-year extension. Put pressure on them.”
Thomson, always in a cheerful mood, jumped on the joke, but made it very clear that it was out of the question for him. “If I were to get an extension under Turner and Harp’s contracts, I’d be around 90 years old when I finish,” he said. “So it might be a bit old.”
