The Tigers on Friday announced that manager Brad Ausmus will not have his contract extended beyond the current season. That means he won't be back in the Detroit dugout for 2018. Ausmus and his staff will remain in their current roles for the remainder of the 2017 season.
GM Al Avila said the following in a statement released by the team:
"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. 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."
Ausmus, age 48 and the 37th manager in Tigers history, is in his fourth season as Detroit skipper. Over that span, he's led them to a 312-325 record. In 2014, the Tigers won a division title under Ausmus in 2014, but they've slipped to fourth place this season.
As Avila stated, the change in managers is part of a rebuilding process in Detroit. For years, the Tigers traded away prospects and ran high payrolls in an effort to contend, which they did successfully for many years. This season, however, the aging core was unable to muster another run, which led to a July and August sell-off of talents like Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila, and Justin Wilson.
