Detroit — This is how a messy season ends, with muddled messages and clumsy moves. And when leadership is muted, or uncertain, even the right moves look bad.
The right move is for the Tigers to fire Brad Ausmus at the end of the season, although he’s not the only culprit in the collapse. The bad move is to reportedly reach the decision long before announcing it, leaving an uncomfortable gap for speculation.
General manager Al Avila tried to fix things Friday, saying reports the Tigers had decided to fire Ausmus were wrong. He said he spoke with Mike Ilitch and Ausmus, then reiterated the evaluation was ongoing and would be concluded “by the end of the season.