AJ Hinch's refusal to be poached by Astros means he needs to shape up with Tigers

It's been a little over a week since the Astros fired general manager Dana Brown, but they're already on a quiet hunt to replace him. Four different executives, including special advisor and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, currently split Brown's responsibilities, with owner Jim Crane overseeing baseball operations. That sounds like a "too many cooks" situation if there ever was one.

Former Tigers manager Brad Ausmus — close friends with Bagwell and the runner-up to Brown last time the Astros were hiring — is thought to be a candidate for the role again.

But, according to Bob Nightengale, Houston may have their eye on someone even closer to Detroit. Nightengale wrote, "While Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch still is beloved in the Houston Astros organization and has a strong relationship with owner Jim Crane, he has no interest at this time of filling their GM vacancy."

That doesn't clarify whether or not Hinch was formally approached about the role, but it was probably best for him to dispel any notions early, before the search starts in earnest.

This is ultimately a good thing for the Tigers, who don't want to get caught out without a manager for 2027, but if Hinch is going to stick around instead of taking a more prestigious and probably more lucrative job, he needs to clean up Detroit's act next year.

AJ Hinch reportedly not interested in Astros' GM opening after Dana Brown's firing

Hinch's greatest weakness this season has been his bullpen usage. While fans had plenty to gripe about in terms of his pinch-hitting habits earlier in the season, too, those have died down since the organization said goodbye to Jahmai Jones, and with Kerry Carpenter on the IL. But when it comes to the bullpen, Hinch was been provably ineffective and at times lost on how to use his relievers.

With the Tigers, this is something of a chicken-or-egg scenario. Does the blame fall on Harris for assembling a bad bullpen, or the relievers themselves for underperforming, or Hinch for not knowing how to use them?

Let's say there's a little bit of Column A, B, and C, but Hinch is at least somewhat responsible for Detroit's awful and too-frequent late-game collapses.

The Tigers signed him to a long-term contract extension (full details weren't disclosed) last season, and that was mostly met with positive feedback. Attitudes on him have certainly soured during this losing year, but there's still time for him to turn things around.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow