Despite rumblings the Detroit Tigers were considering a managerial change for 2016, Brad Ausmus will be back for a third season with the team next year.
Per the Tigers' official Twitter account, general manager Al Avila announced Ausmus will be retained.
Ausmus' time leading the Tigers appeared like it was nearing a conclusion. George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reported that the team's former general manager, Dave Dombrowski, had to convince ownership not to make a managerial change during the season.
Instead, via the Tigers' Twitter account, Avila's official statement said he and Ausmus have been able to better synchronize things:
Upon learning that he would be staying, Ausmus had this to say, per ESPN.com's Katie Strang:
A change would have felt like the Tigers scapegoating their manager for poor roster construction, as B/R's Scott Miller noted:
Things bottomed out in Detroit this season. Losing Max Scherzer in free agency was the first straw, but more alarming was Victor Martinez's precipitous drop in production. After finishing second in AL MVP voting last year, the 36-year-old has a .664 OPS in 117 games entering play Saturday.
The Tigers front office traded David Price and Yoenis Cespedes at the deadline in July to gain future assets when it became apparent that contention in 2015 wasn't going to happen.
The starting pitching, which used to be the Tigers' greatest strength, ranks 26th in OPS against (.775) and 27th in ERA (4.78).
The Tigers are stuck in limbo with an old, expensive roster that will account for nearly $112 million in payroll next season before adding in arbitration-eligible players and potential free-agent signings.
Ausmus inherited a solid situation two years ago, and he led the Tigers to the playoffs before they were swept by the Baltimore Orioles. Injuries, roster turnover and players hitting a natural decline point have contributed to Detroit's disappointing 2015 season.
The 46-year-old has earned a chance to prove himself as the Tigers enter the next phase of their rebuilding effort. It may not be a full-blown plan, because ownership has been willing to spend a lot of money and there are still valuable pieces to build around, such as Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and Jose Iglesias.
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