Mercifully, Al Avila is no longer the general manager of the Detroit Tigers and many fans are still celebrating the fact that he will no longer be responsible for building the roster.
The question is, where do the Tigers go from here? Do we trust that owner Chris Ilitch will actually hire the right person to replace Avila and lead the Tigers into the future?
Personally, my hope is that Ilitch consults with as many baseball ‘experts’ as possible (I believe he will) rather than making this decision on his own and that he eventually hires the right person for the job.
But is there a logical choice out there to replace Avila?
MLB insider names ‘logical choice’ to become Detroit Tigers’ next GM
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, there is a “logical choice” out there to become the next general manager of the Detroit Tigers.
That “logical choice” is current Los Angeles Dodgers executive, Josh Byrnes.
From Jon Heyman (New York Post):
Dodgers exec Josh Byrnes is a logical choice to replace Al Avila as Tigers GM. Byrnes, the former Padres and Diamondbacks GM, once was runner-up to Sandy Alderson for the Mets’ GM job. He is very close to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch dating back to when Byrnes moved Hinch from the front office to be D-Backs manager.
From Los Angeles Dodgers:
Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations
Josh Byrnes enters his seventh season as the Dodgers’ Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations, where he supervises the club’s scouting and player development. Since his first season in 2015, the Dodgers have posted the best record in baseball, winning six division titles, three National League pennants and the 2020 World Championship.
He previously served as executive vice president/general manager for two of the Dodgers’ NL West rivals, the Diamondbacks (Oct. 2005-July 2010) and Padres (Oct. 2011-June 2014). Byrnes began his baseball front office career in 1994 with the Indians, working as an advance scout in 1995 and 1996 before being promoted to director of scouting in June 1998. In fall 1999, Byrnes became assistant general manager of the Rockies and moved to the Red Sox in the same role for the 2003-05 seasons, helping Boston to the 2004 World Series title.
Originally from Washington, D.C., Byrnes attended Haverford (PA) College, where he established school career records in home runs and RBI. He has two daughters, Avery and Darby.
Nation, would you be in favor of the Detroit Tigers hiring Josh Byrnes as their next general manager?
