All it took was an errant throw for Rob Thomson’s Philadelphia Phillies to make MLB history on Thursday night.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, they were on the wrong side of a new spot in the record books. Philadelphia reliever Orion Kerkering botched a throw to home plate, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-1 victory and the first series-ending, walk-off error in National League playoff history.
Change could be coming in Philadelphia, and we’re not just referring to All-Star slugger Kyle Schwarber’s impending free agency. Calls quickly mounted on social media for the Phillies to dismiss Thomson, who took over the Phillies in June 2022 and is 346-251 in that time. However, the Phillies went from a 2022 World Series loss to the Houston Astros to consecutive NLDS losses, and fans are understandably frustrated.
If the Phillies are open to exploring a managerial change, we’re here to help. For this list, we’ve identified four candidates with previous managerial experience and extensive resumes. As tempting as it might be for the Phillies to replace Thomson with an up-and-coming assistant coach or someone who has only been an interim manager, such as Washington’s Miguel Cairo, we feel that the Phillies would benefit best from someone who knows what it takes to manage a World Series contender. We’ve also ranked all candidates in alphabetical order.
Bob Melvin, former San Francisco Giants manager
In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised that the Giants parted ways with Melvin. Lead executive Buster Posey didn’t hire Melvin, and the club’s 81-81 finish certainly didn’t help the veteran skipper’s case to return for 2026. Still, Melvin is an accomplished manager who regularly won in Oakland despite the team’s lack of payroll and the constant rumors regarding relocation.
Melvin handled himself well with the Padres, too, guiding the 2022 team to an NLCS loss against the Phillies. What made that team so noteworthy was their decision to go all-in at the trade deadline, giving up numerous top prospects for Nationals superstar Juan Soto. Even if the Padres didn’t reach the World Series, it’s telling that Melvin didn’t let such a radical trade halt the team’s momentum.
It’s worth noting that Melvin turns 64 on Oct. 28, so there’s no guarantee that he’s a true long-term option. However, would the Phillies really care about potentially needing a new manager in 2028 if they had the opportunity to celebrate a championship in 2026?
Don Mattingly, Toronto Blue Jays bench coach
The Phillies love the former Yankees coach route, having hired Joe Girardi before promoting Thomson, himself a longtime Yankees assistant under Girardi. Although Mattingly never managed the Yankees, he worked under Joe Torre from 2004-07 on teams that fielded high payrolls and always considered the season a failure if they didn’t win the World Series. Mattingly also had a Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Yankees and survived the George Steinbrenner era, though we can’t say the same for his sideburns.
Kudos to Mattingly, though, for enduring the Marlins and managing them for seven seasons. Don’t let that 443-587 in Miami fool you, especially not given the Marlins’ reputation for trading players before they became too expensive. Mattingly turns 65 next April and might be running out of opportunities to finally manage a team to the World Series. This is a match made in heaven, and it’s the move we personally would urge the Phillies to make.
Joe Maddon, former Los Angeles Angels manager
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The key question is whether Maddon, who turns 72 in February, wants to manage again. Few would blame him if his two-plus years leading the Angels from 2020 through June 2022 have him now prefer watching games at home.
If the Phillies hire Maddon, then they’d do so knowing he likely won’t last longer than three years. Very rarely in sports do we see coaches or managers stick around past 75, and we’re skeptical that the 73-year-old Bill Belichick will be the exception at North Carolina. For what it’s worth, we have far more faith in Maddon potentially succeeding with the Phillies than we did about Belichick thriving with the Tar Heels.
Maddon told MLB Network earlier this year that he’d like to manage again, though he doesn’t want analytics and executives to make coaches “inferior.”
“Your people that you hire have to feel empowered to do their job,” Maddon said. “And when they show up every day, that they have an opportunity to make a difference. Those are the kind of things that I’d like to see, and I would love to be part of that.”
Scott Servais, San Diego Padres special assistant
If not for the Houston Astros’ dominance, Servais and the Mariners likely would have made the postseason far more than their lone 2022 Wild Card berth. Servais went 688-624 with the Mariners from 2016 through his August 2024 dismissal, and he won at least 86 games in five of those eight full seasons.
The 58-year-old Servais is the youngest option on this list, and we’d be surprised if he’s not managing somewhere in 2026 — assuming that he wants to manage again, of course. However, there is no reason to believe that Servais would rather remain in the Padres’ front office as a special assistant for player development.
Servais proved that he can win in a difficult division, and we’re sure that the Braves and Mets will bounce back following their disappointing 2025 campaigns. At least on paper, we’re confident in suggesting that this would be a home run hire for the Phillies.