Tigers not bringing Brad Ausmus back for 2018

[Paul Pleiss]

News coming out this afternoon that the Tigers will NOT be bringing back their manager, Brad Ausmus.

[cmoss84]

They have some big decisions to make. They have two awful contracts with Miggy's and Jordan Zimmerman's.

 

Miggy is 34 and signed through '23 (with options for '24-'25) and will be making around $30 million/year.

Zimmerman is 31 and is signed through 2020, making an average of around $23 million/year.

Victor Martinez is 38 and will be making $18 million/year the next two years.

 

Will/can they trade these guys in the off-season? They look to be in rebuild mode.  They have issues.

 

 

[biggentleben]

They've made huge strides in their system in the last 18 months, which does at least give them a start to a rebuild, but they've really moved the guys that they could hope to get anything for in trade right now.

[gunnarthor]

They also have to pay Sanchez 5m in a buyout for next year or exercise his 16m option. Man, that contract was a disaster for them - 5 yrs, less than 7 WAR, 700ip, 92 ERA+ for 76m (assuming they go with the buyout).

[Vanimal46]

The Tigers pretty much sold off every movable contract they have...

Miggy isn't going anywhere. Neither is Zimmerman's albatross contract. 

 

I'm surprised the Tigers haven't named an interim manager and told Ausmus to stay home the rest of the season. They're playing like a team going through the motions. 

[drjim]

They also have to pay Sanchez 5m in a buyout for next year or exercise his 16m option. Man, that contract was a disaster for them - 5 yrs, less than 7 WAR, 700ip, 92 ERA+ for 76m (assuming they go with the buyout).

That was one of the more lamented non-signs by the Twins in the last half decade. Worked out OK. One of the benefits of being a fan on a message board, all the satisfaction of complaints, no reason to worry about consequences.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Tigers shoulda hired Gardy prior to 2016.

 

Remember Detroit had that handshake deal with Gardenhire to manage, until some meddling blogger scooped the real reporters, and the Tigers decided to save face and bring Ausmus back. Because access.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

The Tigers pretty much sold off every movable contract they have...

Miggy isn't going anywhere. Neither is Zimmerman's albatross contract. 

 

I'm surprised the Tigers haven't named an interim manager and told Ausmus to stay home the rest of the season. They're playing like a team going through the motions.

 

Going through the motions of getting the highest possible draft pick next summer! So glad we're not having that conversation anymore.

[Otto von Ballpark]

They also have to pay Sanchez 5m in a buyout for next year or exercise his 16m option. Man, that contract was a disaster for them - 5 yrs, less than 7 WAR, 700ip, 92 ERA+ for 76m (assuming they go with the buyout).

I don't think it was a disaster, although it certainly has not ended well. He was worth 6.3 bWAR the first season, when they only won the division / wild card by 1 game. Also contributed a couple decent ALCS starts (including a game 1 victory).

 

Second year, 2.4 bWAR in only about 2/3 of a season, again only won their division by 1 game (and only 2 games up on the wild card). He didn't crack their abbreviated postseason rotation (Scherzer/Verlander/Price) but contributed a nice relief appearance (subsequently squandered by Chamberlain/Soria).

 

He hurt them in 2016, -1.2 bWAR and they finished 3 games out of the wild card. But 2015 and 2017, the team finished far enough out that Sanchez's poor performance didn't ultimately matter that much.

 

I wouldn't call it a great return, obviously, but I don't think it was a disaster either.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Tigers shoulda hired Gardy prior to 2016.

 

Remember Detroit had that handshake deal with Gardenhire to manage, until some meddling blogger scooped the real reporters, and the Tigers decided to save face and bring Ausmus back. Because access.

Maybe the report was right, but just way early.

[Monkeypaws]

 

Going through the motions of getting the highest possible draft pick next summer! So glad we're not having that conversation anymore.

Especially when you can nab a Donaldson at 48, a Blackmon at 72, a Trout at 25, Sale at 13, Judge at 32, etc.