At some point over the next few months, the Philadelphia Phillies will likely have to make a decision. If the team won the World Series, all those decisions would be off the table.
The Phillies would attempt to run it back with their current core again and look to go back-to-back. However, given how difficult that is, let’s say that the Phillies don’t win a World Series.
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At that point, what does the ownership group do? Do they blame the players and try to get rid of their current core? Do they look to regroup with marginal pieces around their core?
Or, perhaps more important than anything else, do they look to get rid of Skipper Rob Thomson?
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) looks on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field.Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Making predictions about who could be on the hot seat, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that Thomson could be one of the coaches around baseball who loses his job in the next few months, adding that if the Phillies continue to struggle when it matters most, it could require them to move on from him.
“Thomson authored an all-time save in 2022, taking over for Joe Girardi in June and guiding the Phillies to the World Series. Yet the team hasn’t made forward progress since then, and it now finds itself looking up at the New York Mets in the NL East. If progress continues to stall or even reverses, a new leader could be needed,” he wrote.
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Thomson has been a fine manager outside of a few questionable bullpen decisions. However, it’s also important to remember that at points, he doesn’t have much to work with. The Phillies are a good, not great, team.
They’re very flawed, and it’s tough to blame a manager for that.
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