Oh man the Mike Ilitch era was a thing of pure magic, in that you just knew if there was a hole to be filled in the lineup, he would go out and get you the best possible piece to fill it. It really breaks my heart the Tigers weren’t able to win in 2012 or 2013 when they had the perfect team to do it, because you really wanted to see it happen when Ilitch was alive (and when Leyland was still managing). I think, too, though, he spent without much thought of the future, and it meant the Tigers were stuck with a bloated payroll and a lot of really unpleasant contracts in hindsight.
Tigers Series Preview With Ashley MacLennan
