Gone from Tigers, Dave Dombrowski becomes one of MLB's top free agents

Ok, you want to judge Dave Dombrowski's integrity?

Here he is, knowing his departure in Detroit was imminent, but instead of going the safe route and keeping the Tigers intact for a possible wild-card berth, he convinced owner Mike Ilitch to surrender and sell their most prized possessions if they wanted to accelerate their revival.

Dombrowski, with his team still thick in the American League wild-card race, made the bold moves last week to trade ace David Price to Toronto, power-hitting outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the New York Mets and closer Joakim Soria to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Less than 24 hours later, he was planning his departure and making way for longtime assistant Al Avila to take over the general manager job.

Now, he's officially out the door, with the Tigers announcing that Tuesday afternoon that they have parted ways with Dombrowski, whose contract was expiring after the season.

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"Together, we've enjoyed some success,'' Ilitch said in a prepared statement, "but we're still in aggressive pursuit of our ultimate goal: to bring a World Series title to Detroit and Michigan. I've decided to release Dave from his contract in order to afford him the time to pursue other opportunities. I feel this is the right time for the Tigers to move forward under new leadership."

We don't know the specific reasons for the break-up, but it's no secret that Dombrowski was seeking a raise. Hey, if Los Angeles Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman is making $7-to-10 million a year, why shouldn't Dombrowski, who was also the Tigers' CEO and club president, at least be paid in the same neighborhood?

When it became clear there was going to be no resolution, they agreed to disagree, and just like that, Dombrowski is baseball's marquee free agent.

Certainly, the Boston Red Sox make the most sense for Dombrowski's next destination. The Reds Sox are on their way to their third season of 90 or more losses in the last four years, and president Larry Lucchino announced last weekend that he is resigning at the season's conclusion.

It leaves the door wide open for Dombrowski, who has been ingenious in reclamation projects with the Montreal Expos, Miami Marlins and Tigers.

Then again, the Blue Jays are looking for a president, too, with Paul Beeston stepping down at the end of the season. The Los Angeles Angels will be looking for a full-time GM, with Bill Stoneman only an interim GM, and who worked with Dombrowski in Montreal. And who knows what will happen in places like Seattle and Milwaukee and Baltimore and …

Dombrowski won't be getting Price money in the free-agent market, but he could have a handful of teams bidding for his services by October, and surely will be working for someone by the annual GM meetings in November in Boca Raton, Fla.

"He's going to do the same thing he's always done,'' said Mike Russell, Arizona Diamondbacks special assistant to baseball operations, who worked 14 years for Dombrowski in Detroit. "He's going to take the challenge, wherever it is, and make them better.

"You look at what he did in Detroit.

"He took that team from the bottom up, made everyone better, and had them winning year after year.''

Oh, sure, there were no World Series championships during Dombrowski's 14-year reign.

And for the first time in five years, they won't win the AL Central, or even qualify for the playoffs.

But to measure Dombrowski's success in Detroit, just ask yourself one question:

Did he leave the Tigers a better franchise than the one he inherited?

He inherited a rusted Ford Taurus, and now a shiny black Escalade sits in the Tigers' parking lot.

Dombrowski took over a team that lost 106 games his first year, lost an historic 119 games the next season in 2003, and three years later, were in the World Series.

He turned baseball's laughingstock into one of the sport's goliaths

The Tigers won two pennants and four consecutive Central titles. They drew more than two million fans 11 consecutive seasons in a city that declared bankruptcy. The team today is worth about $2 billion on the open market.

Al Avila, who has been with Dombrowski for all but a few months of his 24-year professional career, inherits a team that should be right back in contention in 2016. Oh, sure, they need to hit the free-agent market and come with an ace to help out former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, after losing Price and Max Scherzer. They need to get Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and Verlander healthy for an entire season. And, oh, boy, do they ever need a bullpen, the Achilles' heel during Dombrowski's tenure.

We'll find out if they need a new manager, too. Avila gave Brad Ausmus a vote of confidence during his press conference, but by October, Avila will let us know exactly how he feels judged by his actions.

"He is our manager for the rest of this season, for sure,'' Avila said. "I have all of the confidence in him. I think he's done a good job. Just like everything else from here on out, everything will be evaluated.''

And this time, no matter where Dombrowski ends up, Avila is staying put.

Avila, 57, a GM candidate for the last 12 years, finally has been presented the opportunity when perhaps he least expected it, receiving a 5-year extension through 2020, according to MLive.com.

"I've committed to the Ilitches to stay here for the rest of my career,'' said Avila.

We used to always believe the same went for Dombrowski, too.

That changed Tuesday, in stunning fashion.