Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus isn't ready to give up on the season, despite reports that the team's front office is preparing itself to be a deadline seller for the first time in years.

"We are four games out of a wild-card spot. I wouldn't say we are falling out of the race," Ausmus told reporters Tuesday. "I am disappointed in our record [46-47], no question. But I don't subscribe to the theory that we are out of it. Four games out of a playoff spot is far from out of it."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said the Tigers' poor start "absolutely falls on me," but that GM Dave Dombrowski (right) "still believes in this team." Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

Ausmus held a team meeting before the Tigers' 11-9 loss to the Mariners, but he wouldn't divulge details other than to say nobody is giving up.

"The record isn't what they wanted," Ausmus said. "But I'd be willing to bet they will tell you, if given the opportunity to play the next two months together, this team will end up where it's supposed to be -- a winning team."

Shortstop Andrew Romine agreed with Ausmus' message.

"At the beginning of the season, we expected better than this, but we are where we are," Romine said after Tuesday's game. "We're still a good team, and there is a long way to go. I've seen teams come back from farther than we are right now, and that's how we have to think about this."

USA Today reported Monday that the Tigers' front office -- including president and GM Dave Dombrowski -- is poised to flip David Price and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes for big returns before potentially losing them for nothing in free agency after the season.

An executive with another major league team told ESPN's Jayson Stark that the Tigers won't make up their mind about selling off players until at least after this weekend, saying, "where they stand Sunday will determine where they go Monday."

"[Dombrowski] still believes in this team, too," Ausmus told reporters. "He put together a team for 162 games. You don't put together a team for two-thirds of a season. You look at what guys have done. You look at track records, and their résumé somewhat dictates what the season will be.

"You plan for a six-month season; it's as simple as that. We are two-thirds of the way through a six-month season."

Ausmus wouldn't guarantee that the Tigers would make the postseason -- "I'm not Joe Namath" -- but did say that the team's rise or fall rests on his shoulders.

"I'm in charge of the team, so absolutely it falls on me," he said. "When I say I am disappointed in our record, I am. But I am not disappointed in the effort of the players. The effort is there, and that includes the coaching staff.

"But I will take the blame for it because of what my job title is. But I still firmly believe it's a six-month season, and in the end, our record will be what it's supposed to be."