Al Avila

When Joel Zumaya burst onto the scene with the Detroit Tigers back in 2006, the hope was that he would eventually be the team’s next great closer. (Yes, the Tigers have had great closers in the past) Unfortunately, Zumaya was a flamethrower who could not throw strikes as he...

Turns out Joel Zumaya doesn't just throw heat when he's on the mound — he also brings it on social media. Zumaya — a beloved player during the Detroit Tigers' 2006 World Series run known for his 104 mph fastballs — didn't hold back on his Instagram and Facebook, lighting into the Tigers front...

The Detroit Tigers got more bad news today, as pitcher Matt Manning departed his rehabilitation start with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate Toledo Mud Hens after just 49 pitches. However, the good news is that he didn’t aggravate his shoulder inflammation that caused him to be placed on the IL last...

Does Al Avila hold all of the blame for the Tigers’ terrible start?. Dylan Bair: Generally whenever there are teams that have this, that has this much ineptitude people throw strays at everybody. It’s the players fault. The star who’s not leading correctly. It’s the coach or the manager. Maybe the front office. It’s the owner. Everybody universally is pretty much in the same agreement that Al Avila is the sole problem.

The Detroit Tigers have a new face in the clubhouse in the form of outfielder Austin Meadows, having acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in a deal that saw Isaac Paredes and a draft pick head back to the Rays. And for Tigers general manager Al Avila, he was...

Will Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene be on the Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster?. That is a question that we cannot wait to have an answer to as Torkelson and Greene are the Tigers’ top two prospects and we cannot wait to see them play at Comerica Park. On...

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila wants to send a message. He isn't done making moves. "It's getting to the point where it's thinning out a little bit," Avila said Thursday, discussing the free agent and trade markets. "We're still trying to improve the team. I'm not sure if we'll be able to continue that, but we're still trying."

On Tuesday morning, the Detroit Tigers tweeted out the devastating news that first base coach Kimera Bartee had passed away at the age of 49. Following the announcement, Tigers GM Al Avila said Bartee’s “spirit will never be forgotten.”. From Detroit Free Press:. “All of us in the...

The Detroit Tigers have made significant improvements this offseason, bringing aboard the likes of LHP Eduardo Rodriguez as well as short stop Javier Báez, whom they officially signed this afternoon. For Avila, it certainly was an exciting process to bring a player like Báez to the Motor City. “We knew...

It’s official – El Mago is now a member of the Detroit Tigers. Ink was officially put to paper earlier today for short stop Javier Báez, a six year pact worth $140 million. Shortly after the deal was made official, both Báez and Tigers GM Al Avila released a statement:

Detroit Tigers fans have waited very patiently for the team to show glimpses of the competitiveness they continuously saw between 2006 and 2014. Since that stretch of consistent contention ended in 2015, fans have been dealing with some of the worst seasons of baseball, not only in the standings but also compared to the worst seasons in franchise history. However, 2021 felt completely different and the Tigers may have finally turned that proverbial "corner" of the rebuild that fans have been longing for. While the Tigers weren’t in contention at all, there were many, many bright spots and the Tigers still managed to finish 3rd in the division ahead of the Royals and Twins and only 3 games back of the Indians. Those bright spots I mentioned were plentiful. The two brightest came in the form of Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, who proved they belong in the show despite each having less than 33 innings of MLB experience prior. Skubal pitched 5 starts of at least 6 innings with less than 3 runs allowed while Mize had 7 of the same such outings. This is despite both being on innings restrictions in the final 5 of the 30 total starts they made in 2021. Akil Baddoo came out of nowhere like a devastating RKO in the outfield after being selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Minnesota Twins. He managed to put up 1.9 fWAR and a wRC+ of 108 after having not played above Single-A ball in his professional career before. Fans also saw a surprise 98-game season from Eric Haase finishing with a .322 wOBA and a wRC+ of 100 (OPS+ has him at 104) after only having 26 games of prior big league experience. You re-signed Jonathan Schoop and have another year of Robbie Grossman, both of whom are on very team friendly deals. The two posted some of the best Tigers offensive numbers this past season. Schoop excelled with an OPS+ of 110 and an wOBA .324, while Grossman topped that finishing with his OPS+ at 116 and his wOBA at .335. It cannot be forgotten there are also two potential superstars waiting in the wings who are expected make the Opening Day roster in Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene.

Al Avila in his first off-season with money to spend, had himself a check off list and systematically got everything he needed & now anything he adds is just icing on the cake. As I blogged here before, I didn’t think Carlos Correa was going to be their guy unless he came off of a 10 year contract & 300 million. I had listed my preferences as Carlos Correa or Javier Baez. I know everyone is looking at Javier Baez strikeouts but I think a lot of that was immaturity & him wanting to put up big numbers to get the big contract. He now has the big contract so maybe, just maybe, he can be more selective and by hitting down in the order, he will provide some thump hitting with Greene and Torkelson. Al Avila upgraded the catcher position by a big margin, the signing of a LH starting pitcher for less than what the other top pitchers received and finally the SS Baez that instantly increased the WAR of that position by 10! Yes, they were negative 7 and now is plus 3 or 4 so they just crushed it by signing Baez.

The Detroit Tigers have a hole at the shortstop position and you can bet they will add one before the start of the 2022 season. One player that has been linked to the Tigers just so happens to be the top free agent SS on the market, Carlos Correa. According...

If you're a true Detroit Tigers baseball fan like me, then we all should know what the next step will be in a couple more years. World Series Champions!. What's it going to take to get us there? Finding the most talented baseball players that money can buy and fielding the best Detroit Tigers team possible that the general manager can build on.

The Detroit Tigers have a new starting pitcher and his name is Eduardo Rodriguez. The Tigers signed Rodriguez to a 5-year, $77 million deal (can earn up to $3 million more in incentives). On Tuesday, Tigers GM Al Avila commented on signing Rodriguez. “Eduardo was clearly one of our top...

The Detroit Tigers have already made a move so far this offseason, acquiring catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds. And if the latest words from GM Al Avila are any indication, they may not be done yet. “It’s the first day you can go out and talk to agents...