What they’re saying: Reaction to the Tigers firing general manager Al Avila

The Tigers fired general manager Al Avila on Wednesday, ending a seven-year tenure with no playoff appearances.

Owner Chris Ilitch announced the move in the midst of another disappointing season. The Tigers entered play on Wednesday in last place in the AL Central with a 43-68 record and are on pace for a sixth consecutive losing season.

Avila served as Dave Dombrowski’s assistant GM from 2002 until he was named GM on Aug. 4, 2015.

The Tigers had only one winning season (2016) during Avila’s time as GM, which was followed by three consecutive seasons with at least 98 losses (2017-19).

Avila’s dismissal created plenty of buzz on social media. Here’s a sampling of the reaction:

This (as a rumor) was the main conversation amongst scouts last week at the East Coast Pro showcase. I still didn’t think it would happen this quickly. It’s been a tough year on all fronts in Detroit. https://t.co/h6dldzwyaI

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) August 10, 2022

Ilitch didn’t have much of a choice, and I suspected this would happen at end of year. For those who thought he wouldn’t fire Avila, another eye-opener. https://t.co/bFoFhZVAB6

— Bob Wojnowski (@bobwojnowski) August 10, 2022

“I wish the results would have been better this season but know there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years.”

– Al Avila in the press release

Uh no, there isn’t. That’s why you were fired.

— Jim Costa (@JimCosta_) August 10, 2022

Had to happen given the worrisome direction of the rebuild. Weird to let him handle the trade deadline, but better late than never. https://t.co/XYjLLxgEgn

— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) August 10, 2022

It worked! All the losing worked!
Ilitch was embarrassed into firing Avila thanks to all of the losses!
I can finally root for the Tigers to win again! https://t.co/trlLzqrHKD

— Brian Chapman (@bchapsports) August 10, 2022

All jokes aside, this move was patently unsurprising (only real shock was that Chris Ilitch did it now, rather than earlier or later — or not at all), but still feel for the human element.

Al was, and is, a good dude, but had not managed to do what he intended. https://t.co/n4usatCjb0

— Matthew B. Mowery (@matthewbmowery) August 10, 2022

If you were gonna fire Al Avila, you should have done it before the trade deadline. But whatever, fare thee well.

Time to actually rebuild.

— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) August 10, 2022

Best wishes to Al Avila. I was a vocal opponent of his leadership of this attempted rebuild. It’s never personal though.

Ready to turn the page and welcome a new era of Detroit Tigers baseball.

— Detroit Tigers Minor League Tracker (@Tiger_Lifer) August 10, 2022

The timing of the Tigers firing Al Avila as GM makes it all the more puzzling that they let him control the trade deadline ~8 days ago~

— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) August 10, 2022

I’m confused. If Chris ilitch is very pleased with the direction of the Detroit Tigers why did he fire Al Avila? Hmmmm.

— Terry Foster (@terryfosterdet) August 10, 2022

The @Tigers rebuild has not worked and Al Avila is paying the price for the failures. A quick fix is clearly not in the offing. So who’s next?? A franchise altering hire is required. Do you trust who will be making this decision?

— Dave LewAllen (@tvnewzguy) August 10, 2022

This article was originally published by Detroitnews.com. Read the original article here.

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