TIGERS SEASON PREVIEW: Heads May Roll If This Season Goes South, Pat Caputo Says
The Tigers enter the 2011 season at a crossroads.
They are either going to reach the postseason for the first time since their magical run to the American League pennant in 2006, or there are likely going to be major changes in the front office, in the dugout and on the field.
It's not about merely getting off to a good start and being in position to strike in the second half. The Tigers have done well four of the last five seasons during the first half. Closing strong has been the major issue. In 2009, their collapse after leading the American League Central most of the season, was monumental. Last season, as if by clockwork, they returned from the All Star break and were inexplicably swept in a four-game series by the hapless Indians — and the annual tailspin began.
Owner Mike Ilitch has not been tight with the purse strings. The Tigers' player payroll ranks among the highest in an extraordinarily expensive sport. According to Forbes magazine, the Tigers lost $29 million last year — one of only three major league franchises to lose money.
The persistent second-half slides combined with big spending have put the heat on two people in particular.
Manager Jim Leyland and team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski are on the final year of their contracts, and Ilitch has been mum on their future.
Judgment year is here.
Leyland, in particular, is vulnerable. Before he arrived, the Tigers had suffered a dozen straight losing seasons and their clubhouse during Alan Trammell's final year as manager was as dysfunctional as it has ever been.
