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Amid another down season, the Detroit Tigers have made a change in leadership.
On Wednesday, the Tigers announced they had parted ways with executive vice president and general manager Alex Avila, who spent 22 years with the organization.
“To Tigers fans, you’re the best and you deserve a winner,” Avila said in a statement released by the Tigers. “I wish the results would have been better this season but know there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years.”
After spending 13 seasons as assistant general manager and vice president with the Tigers, Detroit promoted Avila to general manager and executive vice president in 2015.
The Tigers failed to make the postseason during Avila’s tenure as GM, finishing last in the AL Central four times. Detroit finished with a winning record just once under Avila, going 86-75 in 2016.
Tigers chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch will lead the search for the team’s next front office leader.
“With new baseball operations leadership will come a fresh perspective toward evolving our roster and maximizing our talent to reach our objectives,” Ilitch said. “To be clear, our goals are to build a team that wins on a sustainable basis, qualifies for the playoffs, and ultimately wins the World Series.”
The Tigers, 43-68, are currently in last place in the AL Central and sit just two games better than the Oakland Athletics (41-70) for the worst record in the American League.
While the Tigers have eyes on a better future, they aren’t likely to lean on prospects to turn around the franchise. In ESPN’s latest look at MLB farm systems, the Tigers ranked near the bottom at No. 24.
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