Detroit Tigers Fire Longtime GM Al Avila

Al Avila had been the Tigers' GM for seven years.

With the 2022 MLB Draft and trade deadline already in the rearview mirror, the Detroit Tigers fired executive vice president and general manager Al Avila on Wednesday.

Avila had been with the Tigers for over two decades, but the team's disastrous rebuild ultimately led to the end of the 64-year-old's tenure in Detroit. The Tigers entered this season expecting to be competitive following a busy offseason, but they are 43-69 and own the worst record in the American League Central.

“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 chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. "They’ll be entering an organization with many foundational elements in place and an exciting path forward. Tigers fans deserve winning teams, and I’m highly focused and committed to deliver that to the people of Detroit and Michigan. With new baseball operations leadership will come a fresh perspective toward evolving our roster and maximizing our talent to reach our objectives. To be clear, our goals are to build a team that wins on a sustainable basis, qualifies for the playoffs, and ultimately wins the World Series.”

Ilitch added that he will oversee the search process to replace Avila, who spent the last seven years as Detroit's general manager after serving as assistant GM. The Tigers finished in last place four times during Avila's tenure and traded away players like Justin Verlander and J.D. Martinez — moves that Illitch refused to take any responsibility for on Wednesday.

Illitch will collaborate on the search with members of the organization's baseball and business operations teams. In the meantime, vice president and assistant general manager Sam Menzin will be the day-to-day "point of contact for the Major League team."

"To Tigers fans, you’re the best and you deserve a winner," Avila said in a 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."