Dombrowski out as Tigers’ president, GM

The Tigers were in the midst of preparing for the trade deadline, and Dombrowski undoubtedly had other things on his mind.

When the Orioles eliminated his team in three straight games in last year’s AL Division race, Dombrowski walked into the visiting clubhouse to congratulate Dan Duquette, with whom he worked closely in Montreal. But his abrupt exit – accompanied by a somewhat cryptic explanation from the team – was unusual.

“This does not mean we have given up on this season”, said Avila, father of catcher Alex Avila. I’ve decided to release Dave from his contract in order to afford him the time to pursue other career opportunities. “I really feel that is the suitable time for the Tigers to maneuver ahead beneath new management”.

Following Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to Kansas City, Tigers players were surprised by the front-office shakeup but insisted nothing changes in the clubhouse.

The impression Dombrowski gave Ilitch may have been apparently opposite, considering the timing of the move. A message was left with Dombrowski seeking comment.

“The one dialog I had with Dave was principally when he left, we stated our goodbyes, and clearly we’re nonetheless nice pals”.

“He wasn’t as sharp as his last outing, but it still was decent”, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Ilitch is 86 and desperately wants to bring a World Series title to Detroit.

The Royals had lost four of five before Salvador Perez went 3 for 4 with his 16th home run and three RBIs on Tuesday.

Detroit’s success cemented Dombrowski’s place in the upper echelon of executives and as the most successful of his generation.

“Could the fact that he was entrusted with dealing off David Price, Joakim Soria, and Yoenis Cespedes mean he’s likely to sign an extension soon?”

Dombrowski had been the Tigers GM since 2002, replacing the beleaguered Randy Smith.

Why Dombrowski? The track record, for one: he helped build the awesome early-and-mid 90’s Expos teams, the world champion ’97 Marlins, and the current powerhouse Tigers. Here is a short list for the Tigers’ new general manager to start working on. He has pulled off a few great trades including acquiring Miguel Cabrera, Anibal Sanchez, and even the trade for Max Scherzer.

Dombrowski’s contract with the Tigers was set to expire after this year.

They won’t finish first this year, and Dombrowski leaves without ever delivering the long-sought World Series title that owner Mike Ilitch will now chase with longtime Dombrowski aide Al Avila in charge.

“He took that team from the bottom up, made everyone better, and had them winning year after year”.

It’s with mixed emotions that I replace Dombrowski, said Avila but added, “I think I’m uniquely qualified for this job”.

Stuff like that can be delegated to the assistant GM, than all you have him involved in is contract negotiations, and the marketing side of things, no baseball decisions for him, again a marketing guy. Duffy went 0-3 against the Tigers last season, despite allowing four earned runs over 17 innings. The higher ups said it was a business decision, and they were doing this as an amicable split meant to allow the former-GM an opportunity to start looking for his next gig. “We were sellers at the deadline, but we still have a good enough nucleus to win this season”.