Tigers assistant GM resigns under mysterious circumstances ahead of Home Opener

It's kind of hard to suss out exactly what the jobs of anyone other than the President of Baseball Operations or Chief Baseball Officer or General Manager, typically the most forward-facing members of their respective organizations' front offices, entail. Baseball is rife with special assistants and special advisors, and it makes sense that front offices don't want to be completely transparent about what goes on behind-the-scenes.

However, it's still notable when a front office member leaves, especially if it's unexpected and if they were a part of the organization for an extended period of time. The Tigers' assistant GM Sam Menzin, who was with the team since 2012, fell into both categories.

Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported Menzin's resignation on Thursday night, which was corroborated by MLB.com's Jason Beck, but neither provided an explanation for Menzin's departure. He joined the club as an intern during Dave Dombroski's tenure as GM and continued to rise through the ranks during Al Avila's turn at the top.

Menzin was reportedly a major player in pushing Avila to expand the Tigers' analytics efforts and was promoted to assistant GM before Avila's firing (subscription required).

Menzin continued in that role when Scott Harris was hired as the Tigers' President of Baseball Operations, who in turn brought in Jeff Greenberg as GM.

Longtime Tigers Assistant General Manager Sam Menzin resigns after over a decade with the organization

It's unlikely that the Tigers will comment on Menzin's departure, whether or not it was peaceful, and it wouldn't behoove fans to speculate on his reasoning, but Menzin was a top candidate for the role Greenberg, who worked with Harris as members of the Cubs front office, currently assumes.

Again, front offices move in mysterious ways, so it's unclear if there's an obvious successor to fill Menzin's role, if they'll fill it at all, or what his next step will be with a different club. Still, it's not ideal timing, and the Tigers are losing a longtime member of the staff who saw the team through three very distinct eras, and his next move should be one to keep an eye on.