"Thankfully the Avila era is over" "It should have happened a year or two ago" - Detroit Tigers fans rejoice after the club parts ways with General Manager Al Avila

The Detroit Tigers have parted ways with Executive Vice President and General Manager Al Avila, the club announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Avila has been in the position since 2015, leading the team through a difficult rebuild. However, a challenging 2022 made the Tigers realize a change in direction was required.

Avila’s association with Detroit goes back a little over two decades. He has been in a front office role with the Tigers since 2002.

"The Detroit Tigers today announced they have parted ways with Executive Vice President and General Manager Al Avila, effective immediately." - Tigers PR

Avila penned a heartfelt parting note, which was also included in the official club statement.

"For nearly 22 years, I have given my heart and soul to this franchise, and I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Iltich, along with Chris, for the opportunity and treating me and my family as their own. We've celebrated successes and enjoyed great moments, and I'm proud to have worked with so many talented people in baseball operations and throughout the organization. I'll cherish our friendships and the successes we all celebrated together. To Tigers fans, you're the best and you deserve a winner. I wish the results would have been better this season but know there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years. God bless everyone.”

The Tigers have been one of the most disappointing teams to watch. Their 43-68 mark entering Wednesday is the third-worst record in the MLB this year. Detroit fans are overjoyed that a long overdue change is finally happening.

Happy Birthday to this Detroit fan who must be on cloud nine right now. Moral of the story? If it’s your birthday, don’t be afraid to make a wish. It just might be granted, you never know.

The Avila era is over at long last, and to some fans, the holidays have arrived already.

Tigers assistant general manager Sam Menzin will take over the day-to-day leadership role for now.

The Detroit Tigers will have a huge decision to make soon

The Detroit Tigers won the American League Central four straight seasons between 2011-14. They advanced to the ALCS in three of those four seasons, but an aging nucleus meant a transition was on the horizon.

Avila was appointed in 2015, and his mission was to rework the major league roster while building the farm system. Detroit bounced back by winning 86 games in 2016, which turned out to be the highest point of Avila’s tenure.

In hopes of long-term gain, Avila made a series of questionable decisions. Trading away the likes of star pitcher Justin Verlander and All-Star J.D. Martinez turned out to be blunders of epic proportions.

Avila's contributions were not all in vain. He hired Jay Sartori to help build an analytics department on a deep-rooted level. However, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time.

The Detroit Tigers now need to ensure that the appointment of their new operations leader is right on the mark.