A Tigers season that many in the Motor City would like to forget continued today when the team announced that general manager, Dave Dombrowski, has been released from his contract. Dombrowski’s future in Detroit had been uncertain for months as rumors swirled about him leaving the organization once his contract expired after this season. The team’s owner, Mike Ilitch said that he released Dombrowski earlier than the expiration of his contract in order to “afford him the time to pursue other career opportunities.” In the absence of “Dealin’ Dave”, Al Avila, whose son plays catcher for the team, has been promoted to GM and will take over baseball operations for the remainder of the season.

Dombrowski and much-maligned second year manager Brad Ausmus

The move comes less than a week after the trade deadline, when the Tigers made moves that included trading David Price and Yoenis Cespedes. The moves signaled a raising of the white flag on the 2015 season, despite being just a handful of games out of the second AL wild card spot. Whether or not you agree that the Tigers season was headed nowhere (I happen to agree), the moves were prudent and set up the team nicely for the offseason and for 2016. Many people inside and outside of Detroit were opposed to the idea of giving up on the season, and it now looks as though those trades may have had a hand in ending the relationship between the Tigers and their GM. I find it hard to believe that this was a sudden firing and it seems that somewhere along the line Dombrowski and Ilitch decided that it would be best to go their separate ways.

Dombrowski’s departure may have been a mutual separation, and it certainly looks that there is no bad blood from the comments that he and Ilitch made regarding the decision, but should the Tigers have tried a little harder to keep him around?

The big criticism of him in recent years always revolved around pitching; it’s generally seen as the reason the team hasn’t won a World Series in their past eight years or so of contention. It’s a pretty well founded criticism when you look at the fact that Cy Young winner Max Scherzer was allowed to walk and that the bullpen was never truly addressed in the past few years. Pitching wins the big games and in the two World Series where the Tigers won a single game in both series combined, it was clear that the Tigers didn’t have enough of it. But you can’t take anything away from what this man has done for baseball in the city of Detroit.

Former coach Jim Leyland, Owner Mike Ilitch and GM Dave Dombrwski celebrate the AL Championship in 2012

Dave Dombrowski resurrected the team and the entire sport of baseball in Detroit. Sure, there were some hiccups, including when the Tigers lost an AL record 119 games in 2003, but after that the team improved by leaps and bounds. The man put together some amazing teams in his time with the franchise, including AL Champion squads in 2006 and 2012. He traded for a surefire hall of famer and Triple Crown winner in Miguel Cabrera, along with acquiring studs like Max Scherzer and David Price. He made that team relevant for the first time in decades and won four division titles between 2011 and 2014, after the team had won only three division titles in the previous 42 years.

Dombrowski and perennial All Star, Miguel Cabrera.

Despite all that, there were still fans calling for this move after the Tigers fall from grace this season. The funny thing about winning is you get spoiled by the victories and lose sight of who really makes those victories possible. Sure there have been bad moves, but there were a lot more good ones. The only thing the Tigers and their fans can do now is move forward. Without the man who made baseball in Detroit fun again. And with the very real possibility that what lies ahead is not better than the good thing that they had.

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