After the first question of the off-season is answered — whether manager Brad Ausmus will return next season — the next will be posed to general manager Al Avila: After spending a franchise-record $200 million on this season’s Tigers, will owner Mike Ilitch be willing to equal that number in 2017?
The answer likely will determine whether the team’s entire core stays intact. The biggest contract decisions Avila is faced with are not difficult from a player personnel perspective: the contract options of centerfielder Cameron Maybin and right-handed closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Both served pivotal roles this season.