Detroit — It had to happen, not just because the Tigers were losing too many games and too many players, and wasting too much time. GM Al Avila was fired because he lost the trust and patience of fans, media and, most importantly, the owner.
It wasn’t necessarily a bold move by Chris Ilitch Wednesday, or even a particularly tough one, personal relationships aside. The situation grew more toxic by the day, as virtually every one of Avila’s big moves flopped. For those who say Ilitch isn’t as invested or demanding as his dad was, this was the appropriate response.
Ilitch spoke of the change with a forthrightness that actually evoked images of Mike Ilitch. He dismissed a long-time employee during the season with unflinching bluntness. You could argue it took him too long, seven years after Avila replaced Dave Dombrowski — who was fired by Mike Ilitch during the 2015 season — but perhaps, it’s a sign he’s getting it. In his other business endeavors running the Ilitch empire, fans don’t pay money to cheer or boo the spreadsheets. In sports, you’re judged daily and passionately, and Ilitch felt it.
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Proactiveness, aggressiveness and brashness haven’t been his primary traits since taking over as owner of the Tigers and Red Wings upon his father’s death in 2017. But the consequences were growing dangerous as the concurrent rebuilds staggered along and fan apathy mounted. Ultimately, the responsibility is Ilitch’s, and his next move will be the vital one. He made up his mind a few days ago to make a change, and he saw no reason to wait until after the season.
“I try — not only with the Tigers but in everything I manage — to let our leaders lead and run their areas of responsibility,” Ilitch said. “I feel very comfortable that I’ve given Al the time and the resource to accomplish our mission. And he’s made good progress up until this year when our progress stalled, and that’s really why I made the decision to make a change.”
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Ilitch did something fans questioned whether he had the guts to do. In that regard, he’s still earning credibility with Tigers and Wings fans. Speaking before the Tigers played Wednesday night, Ilitch didn’t offer in-depth reasons for Avila’s departure, rightly assuming they were obvious.
Aging, expensive roster
The Tigers are 43-68 and haven’t had a winning season since 2016. Some of that was expected as an aging, expensive roster was gutted. But much more progress was expected, too, and with the Tigers’ historically inept offense and raft of free-agent and trade busts — as well as unfortunate injuries — there was no way Ilitch could stay the course, and no reason to justify the move.
For now, Tigers assistant GM Sam Menzin, 32, will assume day-to-day operations. Ilitch promised a wide-ranging search for the next GM, looking at internal and external candidates, and said manager AJ Hinch would have input. The Tigers must scour all avenues (at all costs) to change their ways. They’ve lagged behind other forward-thinking franchises and were one of the last to embrace analytics. They revamped and upgraded their scouting and farm systems, but in baseball, it takes a long time to catch up.
This was not a warm-hug farewell for Avila, 64, who’d been with the franchise 20 years. This was Ilitch starkly doing what he had to do. He trusted Avila’s management qualities and even gave him an extension three years ago. Eventually, the evidence was too difficult to ignore. Asked specifically about the Tigers’ meager trade returns for stars such as Justin Verlander and J.D. Martinez, Ilitch was blunt. Numerous trades failed to land top prospects, and while the timing and circumstances usually weren’t optimal for Avila, he didn’t pull off anything enlightened.
“I would say to you, I didn’t trade those players away,” Ilitch said. “Our general manager did. Al did. That’s his role. If you’re asking me at the organizational (level), I’m not gonna comment on past activities and go through a litany of moves that Al has made. You can all assess that on your own. I’m really focused at this point looking forward. I believe bringing in a new leader in our baseball operations area is gonna give us fresh perspective.”
This will be another massively difficult undertaking, just as it was in 2017. Five years of brutal rebuilding have yielded very few cornerstones — Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene and some combination of injured and underperforming youngsters such as Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson. Ilitch fulfilled his pledge and spent $240 million on free agents last offseason and the returns on Javier Báez, Eduardo Rodriguez (gone most of the year) and others have been awful.
Poor player acquisition
Even a seemingly shrewd move — trading lsaac Paredes for outfielder Austin Meadows — blew up, as Meadows has battled various ailments and barely played. Injuries have been a major factor, but poor player acquisition and development have been bigger issues. Like others, Ilitch was optimistic just a few months ago, when he declared the rebuild was 100% over. He spoke highly of Avila and the team’s progress, but when things kept getting worse, he didn’t stubbornly stick to that narrative.
So why should people think Ilitch can get it right now? If you get past his placid demeanor and measured speech patterns, you have an owner capable of luring good people. Remember, he inherited Avila as GM and Brad Ausmus as manager. Remember, he inherited Ken Holland and Jeff Blashill with the Wings.
Holland was given time, just as Avila was, but when it was imperative to pay well for top-notch leadership, Ilitch did it. He swiped Steve Yzerman from star-laden team Tampa Bay. He landed Hinch at high cost and risk, a respected manager who was available after a one-year suspension for a cheating scandal in Houston, where he won a World Series.
It’s notable, although not surprising, that Ilitch said Hinch would be involved in the GM search. The Tigers’ faith in Hinch hasn’t diminished despite two rough seasons, but with Avila out, focus grows on Hinch. It also grows on Ilitch, who needs to make an inspired hire.
“At the end of the day, we need to do what’s best for our ballclub and for our fans,” Ilitch said. “Having said that, Al is a good man. He put his heart and soul into the Tigers organization, working to build a winner. When we sat down and talked about it, he understood because he’s a Tiger, through and through. And he wants what’s best for our organization.”
The plan fell apart during this bizarre, ragged season, and it rightly cost Avila his job. Sometimes you stay the course with a good, loyal baseball man, and sometimes you admit defeat. This move was the clear one for Ilitch. The next move can be the legacy-changer.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bobwojnowski