In general, Rob Thomson is a confident bloke. Even with a new one-year extension – his third one-year extension with the Phillies – as the manager of a team that underachieved in the postseason, there are going to be a lot of eyes on him next season. Add to that the hiring of a new bench coach who just happens to be the dad of the team’s GM, is well respected around baseball and has previous managerial experience, and some folks would be reduced to a bundle of nerves, constantly squeezing a stress ball tighter and tighter.

On Tuesday, the same day that the Phillies re-signed Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150-million contract, the Phillies announced that Thomson had agreed with the team on a one-year contract extension to cover the 2027 season. His previous extension took him through the 2026 season which would have made him somewhat of a lame duck coming into the upcoming season.

Phillies president of baseball operations had said that the team wanted to give Thomson an extension when he spoke at his end of the season press conference, but it took a little while to get the deal completed. Obviously, the Phillies have been dealing with player contracts, which would have delayed Thomson’s deal. Dombrowski and Thomson have been in almost constant contact on issues surrounding the team. “We have had so many free agent players and so many moving parts that we’ve just basically talked daily – more than once a day – because there’s so many missing pieces,” Dombrowski told reporters at the Winter Meetings in Orlando on Monday.

As for hiring Mattingly, Thomson seems to be all in on the idea even though it puts his potential successor right next to him in the dugout. When asked about hiring Mattingly, which seemed to be almost a done deal not long ago, Dombrowski made it seem like the ink may dry on a deal before too long.

“We still have some final details we’re working through, so it’s not official,” said the team’s president of baseball operations Monday at the Winter Meetings. “We have really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we’re hopeful that it will.”

The NL East managerial landscape

Both Atlanta and Washington have new managers for 2026. Atlanta replaced Brian Snitker, who took an advisory role with the team rather than continuing to manage, with Walt Weiss. The new manager served as Snitker’s bench coach which will make the transition in managers easier than most. This isn’t Weiss’ first rodeo; he managed the Rockies from 2013-2016 after working in a front office advisory job with Colorado prior to that.

Washington is in a complete and total rebuilding mode. GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were both fired during the 2025 season and Blake Butera managed first on an interim basis and was named the team’s manager following the season. At 33, Butera is the youngest MLB manager since Frank Quilici, who took over the Minnesota Twins midway through the 1972 season and managed them for three seasons going 280-287.

If the name Butera sounds familiar, you’re thinking of Sal Butera, who played for five different teams in the ’80s. Sal is the uncle of the new Nationals manager. Because of Blake Butera’s youth and the fact that this is his first managerial job, he is obviously part of the rebuild mode in Washington. Those who know Butera have described him as a forward-thinking, development-oriented leader — someone who will instill discipline, modern analytics, and a fresh culture in a young, struggling roster.

The Marlins had a new manager last season in Clayton McCullough who replaced Skip Schumaker, who wound up on his feet and is now the manager of the Texas Rangers. In his first season on the job, McCullough guided the Marlins to a 79–83 record — better than expected for a club projected to struggle mightily. Additionally, he earned some recognition in NL Manager of the Year voting when he received some second and third place votes, which suggests that the job he did with the team was noticed by others.

Thomson and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza can commiserate, but at least Thomson now has a contract for 2027 while Mendoza is on an expiring contract. Both have their detractors who look at their performance last season and have plenty of questions. The Mets went into a swoon that dropped them from battling for the division title to finishing 13 games behind the Phillies and out of the playoffs. Owner Steve Cohen throws a lot of money at players and is more apt to blame his manager than he will the players.

As is the norm, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns gave Mendoza a glowing endorsement following the season. Funny how those endorsements can fade quickly though and after a 38–55 stretch over the final 93 games last season, there has to be some doubts about leadership and consistency where Mendoza is concerned.

Should the Phillies struggle out of the gate, Thomson will be the one walking the plank and that move would be made easier with Don Mattingly there to take over.

On the other hand, Thomson and Mattingly could become a successful tandem that may be perfect for the Phillies. The pair certainly have more baseball experience than most manager/bench coach combinations. It helps too that the duo were both coaches on the Yankees staff between 2004 and 2007. Perhaps, a good-cop, bad-cop type of relationship will emerge, but it would be tough to tell just who would be which cop.

Please scroll down to comment on this story or to give it a rating. We appreciate your feedback!

PBN Logo

Disclaimer: Some of the products featured or linked on this website may generate income for Philly Baseball News through affiliate commissions, sponsorships, or direct sales. We only promote items we believe in, but please assume that PBN may earn a cut from qualifying purchases that you make using a link on this site.

Privacy Policy | Contact us

© 2025 LV Sports Media. All rights reserved.