2015 Season, Game Post

Dave Dombrowski Out as GM/President

23 Comments

Breaking news, Dave Dombrowski has been “released from his contract” as General Manager and Team President of the Tigers. This was unexpected, I figured he may be allowed to move on after the season, but not now. Al Avila is the new GM. It’s not clear yet whether this was a move initiated by Dombrowski, Illitch, or was a mutual parting.

Here are more details.

Update: Al Avila has spoken on Brad Ausmus: “He’s our manager for the rest of the season. He’s done a good job.”

He also seems to have read Jud’s comment: “You know how you go back to Little League and the dad is the coach and the son is batting fourth? That’s not gonna happen.

23 thoughts on “Dave Dombrowski Out as GM/President”

  1. how many on here actually wanted DD gone? I can see wanting Ausmus out, but damn…DD has a pretty impressive track record overall.

    was he perfect? of course not. but we’ve seen much, much worse in DET the past 30+ years.

    1. I remember the Randy Smith era, it was hard for Dombrowski not to look good after that. Dombrowski built a legitimate yearly pennant contender, and he needs credit for that.

  2. http://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2015/08/04/detroit-tigers-dave-dombrowski-avila/31121309/

    with this move, unless Ausmus pulls out some sort of miraculous finish, I suspect Ausmus will get his walking papers at season’s end.

    as for Avila (Sr) as new GM, he’s worked under DD for a while and seems capable…after all, he did bring in JD Martinez – so hopefully we see more positive moves along those lines, especially as it relates to DD’s weakness (relief pitching). I hope Avila’s first executive move as GM is to hire his son into a mngmt position and get him off the roster.

  3. Yeah, Avila Sr seems like a good man, and he’s likely more in touch with the Latino vein of talented players, but I was shocked and disappointed to see DD go. I always thought he was a good GM. I thought the only “blow’ he had was the Fister fiasco; other than that one questionable deal, I’d give him high points, and am sad to see him go.

    1. DD has made some stellar trades (Cabrera, Scherzer, Iglesias, Price…) for DET and he will be missed, but that’s not to say DET and Avila can’t get be/get better. Yes, DD made a few bad trades (and FA signings) but the good deals (and FA signings) far outweigh the bad deals.

      RE: Fister ’15, post AS game = 6.14 ERA… his record on the year is 4-7 w/4.60 ERA – and he’s getting paid $11.5M this year and will be a FA at the end of the year…so i’m still not terribly bothered by that trade …sure DD only got Krol and Ray (who is pitching well for AZ) – who was traded for Greene…but i’m confident Greene will get it right again…but maybe not until next year (w/ new pitching coach & mgr?)

      1. My main beef with the Fister trade (aside from the lack of return) was the timing…why the rush to trade a guy who still had 2 years on his contract? I know the thinking at the time was that they were freeing up $$ to sign Max. Not sure that was true, given how far off our bid was.

        1. I think you’d have to say, if that was true, that he was way off estimating his chances to re-sign Scherzer. My beef with the trade was that he said Robbie Ray was the main piece in the trade–and then flipped him the next year for Shane Greene. Look what Ray is doing this year in Arizona at 23 (3.01 ERA, 1.186 WHIP) and you can see why people think he has promise. Shane, I’m not so sure.

    2. Kaline Fan: Judging a man by the color of his skin, or do you have some direct insight into Avila Sr.’s relationship “with the Latino vein of talented players”?

        1. Kevin Bull seems like some Caucasian guy from the far northern suburbs (according to his Facebook profile) and his story was probably approved by an editor of similar background. I don’t think any self-respecting professional writer with an ethnic minority background would write such a story.

          Let’s just say Avila has a good track record and is qualified for the job. There is no need to bring his “Latinoness” into the discussion. I think doing so is a very subtle form of racism.

        2. StorminNorman: After rereading the piece by Kevin Bull you linked to, I get the feeling you (and others?) are over interpreting what he wrote. The story merely presents the facts and lists some players he scouted and signed when he worked for the Marlins. It doesn’t mention anything about a special connection Avila might have with Latin American players. It mentions he signed Josh Beckett, who I don’t believe is Latino.

          1. Thanks for trying to bail me, Stormin.
            @PHToy: At least you called it “very subtle form…..”. I always have tried to judge a man by his deeds and character, never on the basis of skin color or ethnic background. I didn’t think I was making even a subtle form of racist remark here. In Al Sr’s case, being fluent in Spanish can also be considered a form of “being more in touch”.

  4. I respect DD…The Tigers have just taken a giant step backwards on the ability to make great and visionary trades that are the nuts and bolts that led to many successful seasons. While DD had a few boners and rolled the dice a few times (especially on resignings), most acquistions worked out great including the most recent successs of Jose Iglesias. Let the era of long darkness begin.

  5. “He’s our manager for the rest of the season.”

    That says enough to me.

  6. I wasn’t sure what to make of this at first, but consider this: Avila was probably at least partially responsible for signing the following guys: Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez, and Josh Beckett (when Avila worked for the Marlins), and Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, and others.

    He might not be able to pull off the kind of blockbuster trades DD has made (though anything is possible when Ilitch gives you a blank check), but there’s a real possibility this guy knows what he’s doing.

  7. Pingback: Dave Dombrowski Out as GM/President | Ruthian Sports

  8. From the DD era to the AA era. Thanks DD for putting us back on the baseball map. Did more good than bad..Did more great than really bad. Never afraid to make a move, even if it didn’t work. Actually sorry to see you go..thanks for all you did…Amen

  10. His kid is a free agent after this season. We’ll know what kind of “baseball man” he really is when the decision is made re the contract for Mr. .173 BA. If he resigns the kid to anything but a minor league contract, he’ll have zero cred with me.

  12. Jayson Starks tweet says it all: Tigers finished first the last four seasons and finished first four times in the prior 65. Case closed, for me anyway. Thank you DD, for restoring credibility to our favorite sports obsession.

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