Tigers' Ausmus thinks decision on his future has already been made
It looks like Brad Aumsus might be seeing the writing on his office wall.
With his Detroit Tigers struggling through a disastrous season and about to descend into full-on rebuild mode for the foreseeable future, questions have begun to swirl around Ausmus' future as the club's manager.
On Wednesday, prior to the Tigers' matinee affair against Oakland, Ausmus briefly addressed those rumors, telling reporters he thinks a decision - one way or another - has already been made by general manager Al Avila.
"I would imagine," Ausmus said, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. "I mean, Al's known me for four years."
Brad Ausmus said he doesn't think what happens down stretch will factor into decision on his future as Tigers manager.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) September 20, 2017
Ausmus also refused to say whether he'd like to return as manager in 2018, according to George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
Ausmus has managed the Tigers since 2014, when he took over for longtime skipper Jim Leyland. Although the former catcher led the team to a division title in his first season, the Tigers' success under Ausmus has been fleeting since then. They haven't made the playoffs since 2014, and are now poised to lose 90 games for the first time in 12 years while struggling to avoid the AL Central basement after tearing down much of their veteran nucleus through midsummer trades.
Coming into Wednesday's game, Ausmus owns a 312-323 record as Detroit's skipper.