Report: Leyland Says Tigers Not Interested In Maddon
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Former Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, who has remained with the organization since retiring after the 2013 season, told Chicago radio station 670 The Score that the Tigers will not be pursuing former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, who opted out of the final year of his contract.
Only the Minnesota Twins have a managerial opening, but that has not slowed speculation that many teams would be willing to fire their current manager if they could sign Maddon, a two-time manager of the year who guided the Rays to considerable success despite a consistently low payroll.
The Tigers hired former major league catcher Brad Ausmus when Leyland retired, and in the team's first year under Ausmus, Detroit won the American League Central Division for the fourth straight season before getting swept in the first round of the playoffs.
Some fans were aggravated that the Tigers failed to last longer in the postseason, but general manager Dave Dombrowski said Ausmus and his staff will be back for the 2015 season. Leyland affirmed that Saturday.
It has always seemed unlikely the Tigers would ditch Ausmus following just one season, particularly when the team performed relatively well despite numerous impactful injuries, including several that happened before the season even began.
