According to Jon Heyman at the New York Post, Rob Thomson will return for his fourth full season at the helm of the Phillies in 2026. This postseason was the first time since Thomson took over after the firing of Joe Girardi in June of 2022 that there were really any calls for him to be kicked to the curb. The opposition to him really started in Game 2 of the NLDS when he made a couple moves that seemed ill-timed and ill-thought. It was probably the worst managed game since Gabe Kapler went to Hoby Milner in relief when Milner had not thrown even one warm-up pitch; but I digress.

It’s not any major news that Thomson will return; he had signed a one-year extension in October of 2024 that covers the 2026 season, so he was already under contract. The bigger question is: How long of a leash does he have? Let’s say the Phillies get off to a slow start in 2026. Is he gone after a month, two months? Maybe the All-Star Break? You have to figure that ownership is not going to let him go too deep into the season if things don’t appear to be going well for the team.

If there is any concern about Thomson though, it’s more about the postseason. The team wins for him in the regular season but then falls apart in the postseason.

That fact also impacts how long the leash is for Dave Dombrowski. Last season, Dombrowski insisted that the team that he returned – even though it was almost a carbon copy of the previous season – was good enough to win a World Series. Instead, they exited after playing the Dodgers in the NLDS. Maybe Dombrowski isn’t building teams that can perform well in the playoffs. Had Dombrowski not have pulled off deals to get Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader at the deadline last year, it’s very possible that he would already be a former Phillies employee. Instead, those deals saved his hide at least for now. Dombrowski’s current contract keeps him in place through the 2027 season.

It’s not a stretch to think that at this time next year the Phillies could be looking for a new President of Baseball Operations (POBO) and a new manager/coaching staff. The heir – or is it heirs – apparent are already in town. Sam Fuld, who is Dombrowski’s right-hand man and GM, is seen as the likely replacement. It’s somewhat surprising that teams looking for a new POBO haven’t called the Phillies about Fuld. If he were to be passed over, Preston Mattingly, the Phillies Director of Player Development, would be the next up for consideration.

Of course, a strong offseason by Dombrowski and a strong regular season and postseason by Thomson and both could be coming back for 2027 as conquering heroes.