Brad Ausmus Out as Tigers Manager After Season
The Tigers won't extend manager Brad Ausmus' contract when it expires after this season, the team announced on Friday.
The Tigers are 62-91 on the season and are in the midst of a comprehensive rebuild. This season, the team traded away key pieces J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton and Justin Verlander, evidence that management is prioritizing the future over trying to compete in the short term.
"As we transition the ballclub in a new direction, I feel it's best we have a new approach and a fresh start with the manager position," Al Avila, executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager said in a statement. "Brad has done an admirable job under, at times, difficult circumstances, especially this season, and we appreciate his professionalism and dedication to the Tigers the past four years. Our search for a new manager is underway. We plan to keep an open-mind in considering current members of the coaching staff for positions in 2018, but that will be in conjunction with the manager we hire." The move isn't a surprise to many, including Ausmus himself. On Wednesday, Ausmussaid he didn't expect to be back with the Tigers next season.
Ausmus, 48, was hired by Detroit shortly after the 2014 season, just four years after he retired after a 17-year career as a catcher.
