Brad Ausmus Will Reportedly be Fired at Season's End
By Kyle Koster
The Detroit Tigers’ run of four consecutive American League Central titles will be coming to an end at the end of the season. The team has been out of serious contention for months and lost one of baseball’s most respected general managers, Dave Dombrowski, in a less than great breakup. And now it appears manager Brad Ausmus is a dead man walking.
Two Detroit outlets are reporting the second-year skipper will be shown the door as soon as the Tigers play out the string.
"Owner Mike Ilitch intends to fire Ausmus after this season ends, according to a person with knowledge of the front office’s plans. The person asked not to be identified late Thursday because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly. The person said that former Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski “fought off ownership so that it didn’t happen much earlier.” Detroit’s Channel 4 (WDIV-TV) also started reporting late Thursday that Ausmus would be out after the season, which ends Oct. 4 in Chicago against the White Sox."
Ausmus took over for Jim Leyland in 2014, inheriting a playoff-ready team. The Tigers were swept in the American League Division Series by the Baltimore Orioles. Several of Ausmus’ managerial decisions in that the three-game stretch were, in a word, perplexing. Things have not improved this year as the team sits 12 games under .500 after trading away stars David Price and Yoenis Cespedes at the trade deadline.
If this report is indeed true, one wonders why Tigers brass would make Ausmus finish the season in lieu of pulling the trigger now. Seems like a recipe for awkwardness.