Tigers extend contracts of Dombrowski, Leyland
GM's deal to run through 2015; skipper's goes through next season
DETROIT -- The Tigers headed into this season with a mandate to win and with everyone from the coaching staff to the front office in their contract years.
Now that they're in first place with little more than seven weeks left in the regular season, they'll head into the thick of the pennant race with renewed job security for their brain trust.
The Tigers took the uncertain futures out of the background on Monday by announcing contract extensions for geeral manager Dave Dombrowski, his assistants and manager Jim Leyland. Dombrowski received a four-year contract through 2015. Leyland received a one-year extension through next season.
Vice presidents Al Avila, David Chadd, Scott Reid and John Westhoff also earned contract extensions.
The extensions ensure that Dombrowski and his support team will go into a second decade running the club both on and off the field. Together, Dombrowski, Avila, Reid and Westhoff have overseen a rebuilding process that took the Tigers from back-to-back 100-loss seasons from 2002-03 -- including a club-record 119 defeats in '03 -- to a team expected to contend every year. Detroit leads the American League Central in August for the fourth time in the past six years; the Tigers, who have not won a division title since 1987, might have their best chance this year.
"Dave has built a solid foundation for this organization and assembled competitive teams that give us a chance to win, year in and year out," team owner Mike Ilitch said. "We have a lot of confidence in his continued leadership of the Detroit Tigers."
Dombrowski has also been in charge on the Tigers' business side, which has seen a turnaround of its own. What was once a difficult task, to draw fans after the first season at Comerica Park, has become one of Major League Baseball's better success stories, with consistently strong attendance figures over the last six seasons.
Detroit has drawn more than 2.4 million fans in each of those years, ranking in the top six among AL clubs in attendance each season. The Tigers have sold out eight games this year, including three on their recent seven-game homestand. Their average of 30,621 fans per game this year is an uptick from last year.
Since 1946, only Jim Campbell, the Tigers' general manager from 1962-83, has held the post longer than Dombrowski. The fact that Dombrowski's top assistants have been around for virtually his entire tenure makes the front-office team a relative rarity in baseball.
"I am grateful for the continued opportunity Mr. Ilitch has given me to run this franchise, and I am equally appreciative of the unwavering support he has demonstrated the past ten seasons in our efforts to bring a world championship back to Detroit," Dombrowski said.
The last six seasons have been under Leyland's leadership at manager, the longest run by a Tigers skipper since Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson's tenure. Leyland led the Tigers to the World Series in 2006, losing to the Cardinals, and has put them in contention to get back to the playoffs almost every year since. He owns a 485-440 record as Tigers manager, including 61-53 this season.
"I know Jim shares our desire to deliver a winner," Ilitch said. "We're pleased to have him continue leading the Detroit Tigers on the field."
Leyland is in his 20th season as a Major League manager and is looking for his sixth spot in the postseason. The 66-year-old former Tigers farmhand, who got his managerial start in Detroit's farm system in the 1970s, has said he would like to manage for several more years. He did not get the multi-year extension he might have preferred, but he has some security for the stretch run.
"I want to thank Mr. Ilitch and Dave Dombrowski for the support and confidence they have shown in me," Leyland said, "and I look forward to managing the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Also, my many thanks go out to generations of Tigers fans who have supported the Tigers through the good times, as well as the tough times. I'm proud to take the responsibility to assure Mr. Ilitch, Dave and our many fans that we will never fall short of doing everything we can to maintain the pride of our organization and our fans."
Though the Tigers have been at or near the division lead for much of the season, the contract status for Dombrowski and Leyland -- and the pressure to win now -- has accompanied the club all season. The Tigers made a coaching move last month by changing pitching coaches from Rick Knapp to Jeff Jones, trying to get more production out of a pitching staff that had its ups and downs, aside from Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander.
Detroit also has had its share of trades aimed at this year, from the May swap of Scott Sizemore for David Purcey to the Trade Deadline acquisitions of Wilson Betemit, Doug Fister and David Pauley. Fister is the potential long-term exception, giving Detroit four starters under contractual control for the next three to four seasons.
Neither Leyland nor Dombrowski had talked about their status since last offseason, nor did Ilitch when asked as recently as two weeks ago. Still, Ilitch, who also owns the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League, made it clear about his expectations for the stretch run.
"I'd be extremely disappointed if we don't [win this year]," Ilitch told reporters at a news conference for Red Wings forward Kris Draper's retirement. "We've got a good team."
So far, the Tigers have responded to the pressure, heading into a crucial three-game series at Cleveland on Tuesday with a four-game lead in the division. The last time Leyland was in a contract year, a fast start in 2009 earned him an extension by midseason before the Twins eventually beat out the Tigers for the division title in a one-game tiebreaker. It took much longer into this season, but Dombrowski and Leyland have their status taken care of, for now.
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