The Tigers have a big decision to make in the next couple months. So does Ron Gardenhire.
Does the club want to bring back the veteran manager, whose contract expires after this season, for a fourth year at the helm? Does the veteran manager, who turns 63 next month, want another year?
Gardenhire has been mum on the matter throughout the season. So has general manager Al Avila. The Tigers have 10 games to go, and Gardenhire told 97.1 The Ticket Thursday that he and Avila have yet to discuss the situation.
"I’m just trying to grind this thing out, deal with that at the end and see what happens. I’ve never dealt with that during the course of a season. You don’t need to," Gardenhire said. "That’s something that happens in the offseason and you go from there, and that’s where I stand right now. Haven’t even had one conversation with Al about it."
Maybe both parties have already made up their minds. Gardenhire has done a good job with a young team this season under challenging circumstances. After steering the Tigers through the worst of their rebuild, you get the sense he'd like to see what comes next. And the Tigers have to know he deserves it.
From Gardenhire's end, the only question might concern his family. He hesitated to return to managing back in 2018 because of the time he'd lose with his two young grandchildren. That emotional tug might be too strong to resist three years later.
From the Tigers' perspective, it might be a matter of the original plan -- and how closely they choose to follow it. Gardenhire has indicated in the past that he was brought here to fill a gap, to watch over a young team until it is ready to win.
"I’m here to do a job, get this thing on the right track and go from there. And then somebody eventually will take over and they’re going to have a good baseball team here," he said last September. "You’re going to see a lot of good wins and a lot of good players."
If the Tigers believe they're ready to win next season, maybe it's time for the next phase of the plan. Maybe they thank Gardenhire for his services and go find a young, analytically-savvy manager to guide the team forward. (But maybe not Brad Ausmus this time.) And maybe Gardenhire is happy to return home.
At the same time, Gardenhire has evolved as a manager during his time in Detroit. He's become more comfortable and more adept with analytics, primarily evident in how often the Tigers employ defensive shifts -- and how well those shifts have worked. The game has changed, and Gardenhire has slowly changed with it.
One thing that hasn't changed? His players love him. From the rookies to the vets, the Tigers genuinely enjoy playing for the guy they call Gardy. He's believed in youngsters like Jeimer Candelario and Victor Reyes, and look at them now. He's kept a losing clubhouse -- and one expensive, aging star -- in good spirits. Gardenhire's feel for this team shouldn't be ignored with a new core taking shape.
Yeah, we know. The Tigers are more than 100 games under .500 since he arrived. Only the Orioles have more losses in that span. You know what else? Detroit had 14 players who appeared in more than 30 games last season and finished with a negative WAR. 14!! That's what Gardenhire's been working with. He's earned the chance to work with something more.
Only Gardenhire knows if he wants to return. Only Avila knows if the Tigers plan to give him the opportunity. But the team is starting to turn the corner, and the manager is at least part of the reason why. It feels right, for at least one more year, to keep them together.