Dave Dombrowski has had a rocky tenure as president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran executive's club has reached the highs of a National League pennant, and the lows of consistent playoff failures since then. Phillies fans may have mixed emotions about his time at the helm of their favorite team, but interestingly enough he was once considered for the role of commissioner of the entire sport.
Dombrowski has been running front offices since the late 1980s, and reached the pinnacle of the sport in 1997 and 2018, capturing championships with the Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox, respectively. He also took home American League pennants with the Detroit Tigers on two separate occasions, but failed to close the deal in the World Series.
The 70-year-old has been the head honcho in Philadelphia since the 2020-2021 offseason, and has led the Phils to four straight playoff appearances, with a fifth all but assuredly on its way this fall. Phillies fans have plenty of legitimate beefs with Dombrowski’s way of doing things, leading to a large contingent that wants him gone.
In a recent interview with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Dombrowski discussed his future in the game, and if he would ever take another position within baseball. “This will be my last full-time job. I love it here. I want to just keep going,” Dombrowski claimed.
Dave Dombrowski was looked at as a possible Commissioner of Baseball once upon a time
The future Hall of Fame executive went on to discuss a unique position that he had been considered for in years past: Commissioner of Baseball. “There was a point in time when my name was one of the names out there [as a candidate for Commissioner]," he told Nightengale. “I would think you’d have to at least be interested right? You’re leading all Major League Baseball and have a chance to do something you love. It would have been a tremendous opportunity.”
My favorite note in here is that Dombrowski was once considered a candidate to be the commissioner. https://t.co/vCAXWKxofu
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) September 6, 2026
Taking Dombrowski at his word, it seems he was in the running to shepherd the sport at one point, most likely when Bud Selig stepped down following the 2014 season. At the time Dombrowski was heading up the Tigers’ baseball operations department.
It seems the sport’s owners decided to move in a different direction, landing on labor lawyer Rob Manfred, who has remained in the position through the present day. However, Manfred has publicly announced his desire to step down following the 2028 season, leaving the door open for another person to step into the breach.
Dombrowski addressed speculation that he could be considered once again in a few years, stating, “Those days have passed me by now because now they're looking for younger people.” It seems as if Dombrowski is content to ride off into the sunset from Citizens Bank Park, with one more contract extension coming soon before he hands over the reins to someone younger.
The Phillies will live and die with the roster Dave Dombrowski assembles over the next few years, and every fan is praying that the baseball lifer can bring home a third World Series title for himself and the franchise.
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