Phillies

Notes and Quotes from Dave Dombrowski’s Press Conference After Firing Rob Thomson

By Matt Schultz

Published: Apr 28th, 2026 · 5:00 PM EDT

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Dave Dombrowski discussed firing Phillies manager Rob Thomson at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. 

The notes:

When asked who’s to blame for the Phillies’ slow start:

DAVE: “This is not a blame game. This is not that. We are, collectively, not doing well.” 

It’s not a blame game, unless you’re Topper, who has been blamed and fired. 

Dave went on to talk in circles from there, saying pretty much the same thing over and over. He said that it’s not the job of the Phillies’ front office to assign blame and they don’t really do that (???). He said that he doesn’t think the team is playing up to its capabilities, and he thought it was time to make a change. He said he thinks the Phillies are a much better team than how they’ve been playing. And then he repeated all of that a bunch. 

After being asked when he decided to fire Rob Thomson:

DAVE: “Well, first of all, Rob Thomson. I talked to him this morning, because I talk to him every day during the season. We had a very warm conversation. And from my perspective – because he’s a wonderful person. He’s done so much for this organization. I thanked him for it. John Middleton came in after we were done – wanted to make sure that Rob Thomson – and I give you – I mean, I had thought about at this time offering if he wanted to be a special assistant right away, but I think he probably [wanted to] get away and get a break. It’s probably the best thing for him. But as John Middleton told him, he said ‘You’ve seen some of the other moves. You’re always [a] welcome part of this organization. Some of the other people that have left. And I’m sure when he comes back he’ll get a deserved standing ovation from the fans. He’s a wonderful person, done a lot, works hard, very conscientious, but I think at this time I felt that we needed a new voice in there. A little different feeling in the clubhouse at this point. 

Rob was the first to admit that he doesn’t know what’s really going on. He’s a little bit surprised on how we performed… but I just thought at this time was the right time to get a different voice with some different direction with a lot of the common – of course, Don’s been a part of our staff here all along. So he’s got a pulse of his feelings and how we can perhaps improve a little bit here a little bit there. Just a different, overall, as anybody would be coming in. But I think it was just that we need a different voice in there. Few years ago, four years ago, he was the right voice for us with the club that we had. There was no question about it and he’s done it very well. I think we needed a different voice with this group where we are right now.”

What the hell is Dave talking about? This guy is prolific at saying absolutely nothing while word vomiting for two minutes straight. My favorite line in there was about Don Mattingly: “So he’s got a pulse of his feelings.” Definitely good to have a pulse of your own feelings!

The only useful tidbit in that whole spiel was the part about Rob admitting that he didn’t know what’s wrong with the team. Who knows if Rob actually said that, but if he did, it’s interesting. If the manager of the team can’t put his finger on what the problem is… that’s not good!

When asked if he tried to hire Alex Cora as manager, and why:

DAVE: “Yeah, I did. I talked to Alex. We never got down to the nuts and bolts of things, because, um. But I did talk to him. I mean he actually called me Saturday night. He just called me as a friend Saturday night after he had heard about it. Cause we’re – I guess he calls me one of his mentors. And we talked, and he had never been through that before. We talked on Sunday morning. I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball. I say that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. I’ve been very fortunate in my career. I think if Alex Cora decides to keep managing, he has a chance to be in that same category. That’s how good he is. And I talked to him on Sunday morning. We talked about potentially taking the job. I thought – I had told him – I’d really come to the conclusion at that point that if he took it, I was going to make a change. And I thought that he might take it. But as time went on over the next day, into Monday morning, it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family. And it wasn’t because of pay, it wasn’t cause he’s paid through the next year. But he just felt that he wanted, at this point, to be a father first and foremost. And so that’s what he had decided.” 

What a long and boring way to say “I offered Alex Cora the job and he said no.” This guy can really ramble. Also so funny to say, “Yeah… well, I guess that guy views me as a kind of mentor.” This is admittedly a cool flex. I’m gonna start saying this about everyone I know. “Yeah… I guess all my friends see me as a kind of mentor… They aspire to be like me, I suppose, and I can’t blame them…” 

Dave’s lowpoint of the presser:

QUESTION: “Dave, given some of the shortcomings, whether it’s in roster construction or production, why do you think Phillies fans should still believe that you’re the right person to lead the front office?”

DAVE: “You can answer that question. I’m not gonna get into that.”

This was a good question! It seems to me… that Dave Dombrowski… might suck pretty bad… Perhaps he should be fired next… Yes…

When asked if he thinks previous seasons’ expectations are still realistic for the 2026 team:

DAVE: “I do. We won 90, 95, 95 games. And I know people say – it’s not age that has caught up to us. People, I see writing it. Our guys are not aged out, by any means.”

Dave tripling down on the idea that his roster construction isn’t the problem is A) nuts, and B) the only option he has, I guess. If he openly recognizes that he put together an old-ass, not-that-talented team, he probably wouldn’t have a job much longer. 

Not that I expect he will, anyway. Overall, this presser tells me that firing Topper was Dave’s last card to play. If the team doesn’t turn it around quick, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dombrowski joins Thomson in unemployment sooner rather than later.  

Here’s the full press conference if you’d like to get a feel for how annoying Dombrowski talks: