DETROIT -- Alan Trammell is out and Jim Leyland might be in as manager of the Detroit Tigers.
Trammell was fired Monday after three seasons in which he failed to turn around a franchise without a winning record since 1993.
"You will not find a more dedicated, hardworking and respected individual that cares more about the Tigers and his coaching staff," Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "However, for the Tigers to reach the next level, I feel it is appropriate to make a change at this time."
Dombrowski said he informed Trammell of his firing Monday morning.
When asked by reporters for a reason for Trammell's firing, Dombrowski didn't offer one.
"I did to him, I don't think I owe it to you," he said.
Leyland, a former Florida, Pittsburgh and Colorado manager, said the Tigers called him Monday morning to set up an interview with him on Monday evening.
"It's well known that I interviewed with Philadelphia last winter, and I'd like to manage again," the 60-year-old Leyland said last month.
Leyland helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series -- with Dombrowski as general manager -- and was a two-time NL Manager of the Year while leading the Pirates. He was 72-90 with the Rockies in 1999, his last season as manager.
Dombrowski, who said he did not rule out hiring Leyland as early as Tuesday, said he would also consider Bruce Fields and Juan Samuel, both on Trammell's staff.
The Tigers went 71-91 this season and were 186-300 in three seasons under Trammell. The MVP of Detroit's 1984 World Series team had one year left on his contract.
Detroit lost an AL-record 119 games in his first season as manager, then improved to 72-90 last year, the biggest turnaround in the AL since Baltimore's 33-game improvement from 1988 to 1989.
With a lineup and bullpen that seemed upgraded, the Tigers thought they had a chance to have a winning season in 2005. The Tigers were 42-44 at the All-Star break and 61-62 in late August before losing 29 of their last 39 games.
The Tigers were set back by injuries this year, but Trammell refused to point to them as an excuse. Outfielder Magglio Ordonez missed about half of the season with a hernia, and closer Troy Percival appeared in just 26 games before an elbow injury ended his season in July. Both were hailed as prized free-agent signings before the season. Standout shortstop Carlos Guillen also struggled to stay healthy after having knee surgery last year.
"Really, I'm OK," the 47-year-old Trammell said last week. "I'm a big boy. I've been through enough that I understand how things are."
Things were much different when Trammell was a player and he helped the Tigers post 11 consecutive winning seasons from 1978-88.
As a 20-year standout in the field and at the plate, he led Detroit to a World Series championship in 1984 and the American League East title in 1987, when he narrowly was beaten out by Toronto's George Bell for AL MVP.
Trammell was a six-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove and three-time Silver Slugger shortstop.
After he retired in 1996, he was a baseball operations assistant in Detroit for two seasons and was the Tigers' hitting coach in 1999. Then, he moved near his hometown and coached with the San Diego Padres for three seasons.
The Tigers knew Trammell was the popular choice to be their 35th manager on Oct. 9, 2002, and they insisted he was also the right choice. Trammell, Al Kaline and Ty Cobb are the only players to be with the team for at least 20 seasons.
"People don't come to your games to see your manager," Dombrowski said when Trammell was hired. "I can understand why some people will feel that this was based on Alan's popularity here. But really, we could not afford to make this decision based on that, because we need to right this ship."
Trammell was fired Monday after three seasons in which he failed to turn around a franchise without a winning record since 1993.
"You will not find a more dedicated, hardworking and respected individual that cares more about the Tigers and his coaching staff," Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "However, for the Tigers to reach the next level, I feel it is appropriate to make a change at this time."
Dombrowski said he informed Trammell of his firing Monday morning.
When asked by reporters for a reason for Trammell's firing, Dombrowski didn't offer one.
"I did to him, I don't think I owe it to you," he said.
Leyland, a former Florida, Pittsburgh and Colorado manager, said the Tigers called him Monday morning to set up an interview with him on Monday evening.
"It's well known that I interviewed with Philadelphia last winter, and I'd like to manage again," the 60-year-old Leyland said last month.
Leyland helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series -- with Dombrowski as general manager -- and was a two-time NL Manager of the Year while leading the Pirates. He was 72-90 with the Rockies in 1999, his last season as manager.
Dombrowski, who said he did not rule out hiring Leyland as early as Tuesday, said he would also consider Bruce Fields and Juan Samuel, both on Trammell's staff.
The Tigers went 71-91 this season and were 186-300 in three seasons under Trammell. The MVP of Detroit's 1984 World Series team had one year left on his contract.
Detroit lost an AL-record 119 games in his first season as manager, then improved to 72-90 last year, the biggest turnaround in the AL since Baltimore's 33-game improvement from 1988 to 1989.
With a lineup and bullpen that seemed upgraded, the Tigers thought they had a chance to have a winning season in 2005. The Tigers were 42-44 at the All-Star break and 61-62 in late August before losing 29 of their last 39 games.
The Tigers were set back by injuries this year, but Trammell refused to point to them as an excuse. Outfielder Magglio Ordonez missed about half of the season with a hernia, and closer Troy Percival appeared in just 26 games before an elbow injury ended his season in July. Both were hailed as prized free-agent signings before the season. Standout shortstop Carlos Guillen also struggled to stay healthy after having knee surgery last year.
"Really, I'm OK," the 47-year-old Trammell said last week. "I'm a big boy. I've been through enough that I understand how things are."
Things were much different when Trammell was a player and he helped the Tigers post 11 consecutive winning seasons from 1978-88.
As a 20-year standout in the field and at the plate, he led Detroit to a World Series championship in 1984 and the American League East title in 1987, when he narrowly was beaten out by Toronto's George Bell for AL MVP.
Trammell was a six-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove and three-time Silver Slugger shortstop.
After he retired in 1996, he was a baseball operations assistant in Detroit for two seasons and was the Tigers' hitting coach in 1999. Then, he moved near his hometown and coached with the San Diego Padres for three seasons.
The Tigers knew Trammell was the popular choice to be their 35th manager on Oct. 9, 2002, and they insisted he was also the right choice. Trammell, Al Kaline and Ty Cobb are the only players to be with the team for at least 20 seasons.
"People don't come to your games to see your manager," Dombrowski said when Trammell was hired. "I can understand why some people will feel that this was based on Alan's popularity here. But really, we could not afford to make this decision based on that, because we need to right this ship."