The Phillies have interest in extending manager Rob Thomson, but they do not have an agreement yet. (Madeline Ressler/Phillies Nation)

ORLANDO, Fla. — There’s a lot to talk about within the Phillies organization this winter. The team has a number of important players who have become free agents, creating some uncertainty about the roster. Because of that, manager Rob Thomson and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have talked more than they ever have during an offseason.

One thing they haven’t discussed: the final steps of an extension for Thomson, whose contract is set to expire following the 2026 season — at least not yet. Speaking to reporters on Monday inside the Phillies’ suite at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., Dombrowski said that the team did not have any update on a possible new deal with its manager. The executive had previously indicated that the club has interest in adding a year to Thomson’s contract at an end-of-season news conference in October.

“We’re not at that spot, but that doesn’t change the thought process there,” Dombrowski said.

Thomson finished third in National League Manager of the Year Award voting this season and has a career 346-251 record since taking over as Phillies manager in 2022. His club has improved its regular-season win total in each season under Thomson but has stagnated in the playoffs, losing in the NL Division Series in each of the last two years.

The Phillies added another year to Thomson’s contract after they were eliminated from the postseason in 2024, with Dombrowski noting that he wanted to avoid having his manager enter a new season in the final year of his deal. For that reason, he’s said that he wants to pursue another extension with Thomson in order to prevent a lame-duck situation in 2026.

The two sides have not yet finalized an agreement after two months. Last year, the Phillies reached a new deal with Thomson in the six days between their NLDS loss to the Mets in New York and their end-of-season news conference back in Philadelphia.

Still, the Phillies plan to get to extension conversations with Thomson at some point before the season. In the meantime, there’s plenty of other business to discuss.

Slugger Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are free agents, and the Phillies hope to retain them. The Phillies have an outfield to rebuild as the team prepares to part ways with Nick Castellanos and both Harrison Bader and Max Kepler hit the market. Ranger Suárez seems likely to sign with another club. Thomson has worked through all the different possibilities with the front office.

“I think Dave and I have talked a little bit more this offseason than we normally do,” Thomson said. “Usually, it’s every couple of days, but it seems like Dave and I have been talking almost every day, trying to work on a few things and just make the team better.”

Added Dombrowski: “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.”

It’s unclear when some of those pieces might start to fall into place, whether in Philadelphia or elsewhere. But the Phillies have expressed to the camps of their top free agents that they’ll need to start setting things in motion. The team will need to know if Schwarber and/or Realmuto will be around before they can make some other moves of significance.

“I think that’s been properly communicated,” Dombrowski said. “I’m not saying we’re sprinting forward with a lot of different things, but that’s been properly communicated. And I think that we’re prepared to
shift if we need to.”

Additionally, Thomson and Dombrowski have discussed the opening on the Phillies’ coaching staff for a new bench coach. After moving Mike Calitri to field coordinator, Philadelphia has been seeking an external candidate with managerial experience. The Phillies might have found their choice, as the club and former star player and longtime manager and coach Don Mattingly have “mutual interest,” according to Dombrowski.

“We still have some final details we’re working through, so it’s not official,” Dombrowski said. “But we are really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we’re hopeful that it will.”