Inside Detroit Tigers' rebuild: Al Avila opens up about ownership, failed trades, draft picks

Pitchers and catchers from the Detroit Tigers report to spring training in eight days, but before the focus shifts to the 2026 season, former general manager Al Avila (responsible for 25 players on the current 40-man roster) joins "Days of Roar" for more than an hour to discuss the Tigers' rebuild, along with other takeaways from his more than 20 years with the Tigers, including the final seven seasons in charge of baseball operations. Topics with Avila include Mike Ilitch vs. Chris Ilitch, the J.D. Martinez and Justin Verlander trades in 2017, who would've been the manager if A.J. Hinch had joined the Chicago White Sox, Carlos Correa and Javier Báez during the 2021-22 offseason and getting fired (then being asked to stay) in August 2022. He also took deep dives into draft pick decisions such as Jackson Jobe over Marcelo Mayer, Jace Jung over Zach Neto and Riley Greene over CJ Abrams, plus the scouting process for No. 1 overall picks Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. Aside from the Avila interview, Evan Petzold and Chris Brown discuss Tarik Skubal's upcoming arbitration hearing, the ongoing pursuit of mid-tier starters — and if there's any chance Framber Valdez falls into the Tigers' lap.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. 

Read Evan's most recent work here