Detroit Tigers to Fire Manager Brad Ausmus at End of Season, Report Says
By Matt Snyder
WDIV in Detroit broke the news late last night that the Detroit Tigers are planning to fire manager Brad Ausmus at the end of the season.
"The source said new General Manager Al Avila wants to bring in his own manager for a fresh start. Owner Mike Ilitch reportedly wants to bring a championship to Detroit, but doesn’t feel Ausmus is the guy to do it. Ilitch is reportedly unhappy about miscommunication with the players and strategic mistakes on the field."
The news doesn’t come as a surprise as the Tigers have under performed expectations all season and have found themselves in a tailspin down the stretch. The last indication we had of Ausmus’ job security came when general manager Al Avila appeared in an interview on MLB Network in late August. His stance was that of a “wait and see” approach, but he certainly did not provide a ringing endorsement at that time.
So the Detroit Tigers will be faced with a monumental offseason. Al Avila will need to reshape the roster into one that can reach the postseason, but he’ll also need to lead the search for a new manager to lead the squad.
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One of the names that is already being tossed around as a candidate to take over as manager is Ron Gardenhire, former manager of the Minnesota Twins. He has the experience to come in and do a decent job, but he’s hardly an inspiring choice. Twins fans complained for years about his staunchly old-school tactical approach and his apparent refusal to adopt a more modern approach to ideas such as lineup construction, bullpen usage, and sacrifice bunts.
But, as Anthony Fenech points out, going with a first year manager in Ausmus didn’t work out, so the aging Mike Ilitch may be inclined to go with a retread manager with experience rather than trying something bold and new.
I think a more interesting name would be Gabe Kapler who broke into the big leagues with the Tigers in 1998 and went on to have a 12 year major league career. Kapler currently holds the role of director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers, so landing him for the gig could be complicated, but he seems like exactly the kind of guy who could bridge the communication gap between the front office and the clubhouse.
Gardenhire might be a guy to lead them through a year or two of fringe contention, but he’s not going to be the guy to lead the next era of Detroit Tigers baseball. He’s not going to help run the next Detroit Tigers AL Central dynasty.
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