AL AVILA

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch walked around the visitors' clubhouse in Seattle after his team's season mercifully ended and shared a message with the players. This past season could not have been much worse for the Tigers. Detroit dashed high expectations with an awful April, the first of five straight months with a losing record en route to a 66-96 record that was the third-worst in the American League.

There are no Latino general managers left in Major League Baseball after the Detroit Tigers fired Al Avila.

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

Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez has been placed on the restricted list.

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch (14) reaches for a ball before Game 3 of baseball's American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)DETROIT – As he waited out his suspension this year, AJ Hinch knew he wanted to return to baseball. It was Detroit general manager Al Avila, telling Hinch to get on a plane. In January, Major League Baseball suspended Hinch and Astros GM Jeff Luhnow for the season and the Astros immediately fired both. Hinch is 570-452 as a major league manager.

San Diego Padres pose for a photo after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in Game 3 of a National League wild-card baseball series Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in San Diego. First-year San Diego manager Jayce Tingler used nine pitchers, the most employed in a nine-inning shutout in any big league game since 1901. Next up is the Division Series, and all four matchups are intradivision -- AL West vs. NL West and AL East vs. NL East. New York hasn’t visited the San Diego ballpark since 2016. Detroit general manager Al Avila says the team isn’t ruling out the possibility of hiring Hinch or Cora for its managerial vacancy.

DETROIT – Tigers general manager Al Avila said Friday that Detroit is not ruling out the possibility of hiring A.J. Hinch or Alex Cora for its manager vacancy. Hinch and Cora were suspended through the 2020 postseason for their roles in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. The Astros fired Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow on Jan. 13 and Cora lost his job managing the Boston Red Sox the following day.. Cora spent the 2017 season as bench coach on Hinch's staff with Houston. Avila said it is important that the next manager be able to help with talent evaluation, since there are important decisions to make throughout the roster.

A Comerica Park videoboard displays a thank you message to Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire, who announced his retirement prior to a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Detroit. This year was taking more of a toll on the 62-year-old Detroit Tigers manager than he'd necessarily let on. General manager Al Avila said he made a routine visit to Gardenhire’s office Saturday, when the manager told him about the decision. “On behalf of all of us with the Detroit Tigers, congratulations to Ron Gardenhire on a tremendous managerial career,” Tigers CEO Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. “Always, you'll miss baseball,” Gardenhire said.

As baseball scrambles to start an abbreviated season, the prevailing mood is one of nervous excitement. All of these issues could become moot if there's a major outbreak of the virus within baseball. "Ive seen the reports in Houston how COVIDs going up so Im going to have to really be careful. It will be unusual following new safety protocols that are at times incompatible with human nature on the baseball field. Theyre very focused on that and the staff thats going to be associated with the games once we fire up, Crane said.

(AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)NEW YORK Major League Baseball's amateur draft begins Wednesday night with the first of a pandemic-shortened five rounds. (TENNESSEE) (6-2, 195, 18)Lefty-hitting Hassell is considered by many to be the best pure hitter among high school players. 1 overall, which would make him the first college first baseman to lead off a draft. Undrafted in high school, Torkelson has power to all fields with a powerful right-handed swing and a great eye and patience at the plate. (FLORIDA) (6-4, 190, 18)Arguably the top overall high school player in the draft, with tantalizing five-tools talent.