The Detroit Tigers and Dave Dombrowski have parted ways this season, but the GM should have plenty of teams going after him, as the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, LA Angels and Milwaukee Brewers all could be undergoing changes in the front office this offseason or have started to do so already with the majority of the regular season schedule over.
Dombrowski and the Tigers reportedly parted ways mutually and Hardball Talk reports that owner Mike Illitch said that he let the GM out of his contract to "pursue other career opportunities." Dombrowski likely will do just that and now Al Avila, who was the assistant to Dombrowski, will take over for the Tigers. Detroit just traded David Price and Yoenis Cespedes and they reportedly are ready for a "reboot" into next season.
Miguel Cabrera being hurt has pushed the team into this situation and they remain just in reach for the second wild card, but they are not really going for it. Dombrowski now should have options, as Bob Nightengale reports that the Boston Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners all could be potential landing spots. Nightengale writes for USA Today that Boston "makes the most sense" and that the Blue Jays are also "looking for a president" this offseason.
The Red Sox and president Larry Lucchino are parting ways and that could open things up for Dombrowski, while the Angles made a move this season and could bring in a new GM with interim Bill Stoneman taking over for Jerry Dipoto for just the rest of the season. Nightengale writes that Dombrowski has a connection to Stoneman, as he once hired Dombrowski in Montreal. Nightengale also added that the Nationals could be an option, as the team could make changes if they have a disappointing finish to the season or the playoffs.
Dombrowski has a solid track record and he brought the Tigers to the playoffs in numerous years after a long stretch of terrible play from the team. Dombrowski also helped turn around the Marlins and the Expos and now he could get another chance with a team. The Jays are starting in the right direction, while the Seattle Mariners have had a terrible season under Jack Zduriencik and could be looking to make a move.
The Mariners had high expectations for this season and are 10 games out of the division and now Jack Z could be on his way out. The team traded Dustin Ackley to the Yankees and the failure of the former number two overall pick is symbolic of the failed expectations of Zduriencik in Seattle. The Mariners may not make a move after giving Zduriencik an extension last offseason, but the team has fallen flat on expectations and while Nelson Cruz has mashed, nothing else has come together.
Dombrowski surely will have options and with the Red Sox, Mariners and Angels all possessing some money, he could have lucrative offers. Dombrowski has shown that he can turn around teams and operate when teams are contending and that should put him back to work soon.
Check here for more on the Tigers move with Dombrowski and his future options.
