According to a press release from the team, the Tigers have announced that they have parted ways with executive vice president and general manager Al Avila, effective immediately. Sam Menzin, vice president and assistant general manager, will continue to be the team’s day-to-day contact, according to the press release. Christopher Illich, the club’s chairman and chief executive, says he will lead the search for a replacement for Avila.
“After making the decision to make a change, I sat down with Al and thanked him for nearly 22 years of service to our organization,” Ilitch said in the release. “As loyalty and dedication set an example for everyone during his tenure as head of our baseball operations department. I will be overseeing the search for our next baseball operations captain in conjunction with several members of the baseball and business operations teams.”
Avila was also quoted in the press release: “Nearly 22 years ago I gave my heart and soul to this privilege and I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Illich along with Chris for giving me and my family the opportunity as he says.” We celebrated achievements and had great moments. I’m proud to work with so many talented people in baseball and throughout the organization. I will cherish our friendships and the successes we have all celebrated together. For Tigers fans, you are the best and you deserve a winner. I’m hoping for better results this season, but I know there’s a lot to look forward to in the years to come.”
Avila, 64, has been the club’s general manager for a number of years and took over in late 2015 when Dave Dombrowski left. The club was already in a state of deep rebuilding throughout his tenure, posting a win ratio of less than .400 in four consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2020. They showed some promising signs last year and then acted aggressively this winter in hopes of a return to competition this season. Instead, however, they endured a dismal season made worse by various injuries, resulting in a club record 43-68, just ahead of the top flight among MLS teams. With the rebuild struggling to bear fruit, the club appear to have decided to change course and seek a new front office arrangement to perform next season.
Although Avila has now been Detroit’s Chief Front Office Official for seven years, his time with the club actually dates back much further. He was first hired in 2002 after a decade of baseball experience, first with the Marlins and then with the Buccaneers. His first role with the Tigers was as assistant general manager and vice president until his promotion, making him the first Cuban-born general manager in baseball history.
When he took over as general manager in August 2015, the reconstruction had already begun and the club was traded David PriceAnd the Eunice Cespedes And the Joachim Syria Before the trading deadline, when Dombrovsky was still at the helm of the company. The club managed to set a winning record in 2016 but have been poor in subsequent seasons. They bottomed out in 2019, going from 47 to 114 for a win ratio of just 0.292.
Of course, one of the perks of bad seasons is the opportunity to replenish the farm system, as Tigers have had a number of high-profile first draft picks over the past few years. Matt ManningAnd the Alex FaidoAnd the Casey MizAnd the Riley GreenAnd the Spencer TurkelsonAnd the Jackson Joby And the Jess Jong The club’s selection has been in the first round since Avila took charge, with both The Miz and Turkelson finishing first overall.
With some from this group finding their way into the big leagues in recent years, the club did well in 2021. His record of 77-85 was more acceptable than previous seasons, leading the team to believe it was time to act hard and call it a day. refueling process. The Tigers followed suit, spending big and giving them a $140 million contract Javier Baez$77 million to Edward Rodriguez13 million dollars to Andreas Chavin and $5.5 million Michael Pineda. The club also switched to the commercial market and acquired Tucker Barnhart From the red and Austin Meadows of rays.
Unfortunately, all of these steps didn’t work for various reasons, which made the other problems on the list worse. Bayes Mercury averaged .220/.262/.372 for 77 points on the season. Rodriguez has only played eight games for the team due to injuries and personal matters. Chavin made a good offer but was able to opt out in the second year of his contract, which he likely will do. Pineda has only competed ten times through injury and has an ERA of 5.27 a year. Barnhart hit .198/.258/.228 for 41 points per minute while Meadows only played 36 games due to various injuries.
In addition to the struggles of the newcomers, the core of the club have also failed to deliver in various ways. Former all-around pick Spencer Turkelson was on the opening day list but he struggled enough to be selected for Palace last month. Riley Greene missed the start of the season through injury and has underperformed since joining the team. Matt Manning was limited to just four games a year due to injuries, while Mays only appeared twice before Tommy John’s surgery ended his season.
All of that can be laid at Avila’s feet, of course, no injuries. However, after many years of agonizing rebuilding, the club and their supporters were certainly hoping for more signs of good things on the horizon and found none this year.
Ilitch and the Tigers will now try to find a new leader to lead the team to the next phase. Given the club’s woes this year, the organization will look for another strong position next summer to add young talent who, despite their woes in 2022, can remain key players in the coming seasons. Another important focus is also emerging, such as the guaranteed final season of Miguel CabreraThe mega-contract of 2023, which will offer a spot for the candidate list and plenty of salary space. Who will deal with these situations in the future will be decided in the coming months.
