Phillies to give Dombrowski a 4-year deal

The Phillies are expected to sign their new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to a four-year/$20 million contract, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Reports on Dombrowski’s hiring shocked the baseball world on Thursday. Dombrowski, 64, repeatedly said that he was committed to helping bring a major league team to Nashville. Per Jayson Stark of The Athletic, managing partner John Middleton contacted Dombrowski earlier this week after Twins general manager Thad Levine and Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes removed themselves from consideration. Stark also mentioned on MLB Network that the Phillies were on the road to hiring Levine as their next president of baseball operations.

Middleton and team president Andy MacPhail convinced Dombrowski that the job was worth taking and the two sides began to discuss a potential deal, per Stark.

Dombrowski brings a winning pedigree to the Philly front office. He has two World Series titles and four appearances in the Fall Classic under his belt. Since 2011, his teams in Detriot and Boston have made the playoffs seven times in nine seasons.

The Phillies, who own the longest postseason drought in the National League, are probably not setting the bar as high for Dombrowski as the Red Sox did when he was hired to be their president of baseball operations in 2015. Owner John Henry tasked Dombrowski with winning a World Series title.

Ending the postseason drought, setting the team up for an October run or two and leaving the ballclub in a good position to achieve sustained success after his tenure is probably what the Phillies have in mind for Dombrowski.

Dombrowski, however, has struggled mightily to do the latter. He has a reputation for leaving teams with barren farm systems and bloated contracts. He’s a win-now executive and if anything, Middleton had to make the commitment to Dombrowski that he’s willing to spend money in the years to come.

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