The Tigers announced on Wednesday they fired executive vice president and general manager Al Avila.
“I want to re-establish our momentum and progress towards building a winning team and I am driven to find a talented executive to help us do that,” Tigers owner Chris Illitch said in a statement. “Tigers fans deserve winning teams and I’m highly focused and committed to deliver that to the people of Detroit and Michigan.”
Avila had spent over 20 years in Detroit, including the last seven years as general manager succeeding Dave Dombrowski. In six full seasons with Avila as general manager, the Tigers had five losing seasons including two years with the worst record in baseball and one 100-loss season.
“For nearly 22 years, I have given my heart and soul to this franchise, and I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Ilitch, along with Chris, for the opportunity and treating me and my family as their own,” Ilitch said in the statement. “I wish the results would have been better this season but know there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years.”
The Tigers spent money in the offseason to try and take a step forward after years of rebuilding, bringing in shortstop Javy Báez and starter Eduardo Rodríguez. However, the team has been a disappointment this season, currently sitting in last place in the AL Central and with the third-worst record in the league.
