Dave Dombrowski out as Tigers GM
— -- Dave Dombrowski has been released from his contract as Detroit Tigers general manager, the organization said Tuesday. Assistant GM Al Avila will be his replacement.
"I feel this is the right time for the Tigers to move forward under new leadership," owner Mike Ilitch said in a statement.
Dombrowski spearheaded an impressive turnaround in Detroit, but he failed to deliver a World Series for the Tigers.
The team found itself in the position of seller at the non-waiver trade deadline, shipping out ace David Price ( Blue Jays), closer Joakim Soria ( Pirates) and slugger Yoenis Cespedes ( Mets) in a flurry of action.
Despite the moves, the Tigers (51-54) sit just three games out of the AL wild-card standings.
"We're confident we can make a strong push to win this year," Avila said in a statement.
Avila, whose son Alex Avila plays catcher and first base for the team, reiterated the Tigers can win now when he spoke at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
"We have the nucleus ... to move forward and be successful," Avila said.
Avila, who said he was made aware of his promotion Saturday, added that he has signed a new contract with the team that is "a number of years and long enough to give you time to continue to build on a winning tradition."
Dombrowski took over a moribund Tigers franchise in 2002 that lost 100 games that season and an American League-record 119 games in 2003. However, Detroit has since made two World Series appearances (2006 and 2012) and runs of three straight ALCS appearances (2011-13) and four straight AL Central titles (2011-14).
He was also the architect of the Florida Marlins' 1997 World Series championship team and could become a hot commodity for any teams looking for new front office leadership.
While the Boston Red Sox last weekend announced that Larry Lucchino is stepping down as CEO/president after his contract expires at the end of the year, a Red Sox source said Tuesday that they are not pursuing Dombrowski.
Information from ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes contributed to this report.
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