Tigers will not retain Brad Ausmus

The Tigers announced Friday that they will not retain manager Brad Ausmus past this season. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press first reported the decision.

Ausmus and his staff will finish out the remainder of the regular season before general manager Al Avila begins a complete search for the team’s new skipper. The dismissal of Ausmus was widely expected for a Tigers club that is currently 62-91 and in the middle of a rebuild that has led to the trades of J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, Justin Upton and Justin Verlander in recent months.

Ausmus, a major-league catcher for 18 seasons with six clubs, has posted a 312-325 record in four seasons as Detroit’s manager. There have been rumors about his potential firing for more than a year as Detroit slipped from a playoff contender to one of the worst teams in the American League.

Detroit’s vacancy is the first opening in baseball this season, though there are expected to be more managers let go before the end of the month. The Mets and Braves are both considering making a change, and other surprise moves can always be made by teams looking for a shakeup.

Potential managerial candidates with Tigers connections include current coaches Omar Vizquel and Lloyd McClendon, Giants third base coach Phil Nevin and Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond. It’s unclear at this time who the organization is considering to replace Ausmus.