According to Jason Beck of MLB.com the Tigers have denied the Mets’ request to interview Al Avila as a potential general manager replacement for Omar Minaya.
Avila, who is currently Detroit’s assistant general manager under Dave Dombrowski, has a contract that allows the Tigers to deny such requests. Beck reports that the Tigers also denied the Mariners’ request to interview Avila two years ago, but have allowed him to interview for other GM jobs in the past.
Sandy Alderson is considered the heavy favorite to be New York’s next GM, so blocking the Mets from talking to Avila likely doesn’t really hurt his chances of actually landing the job. Beck notes that Avila “is happy in Detroit” and “has about as much authority as an assistant can have.”
Also of note is that Avila’s son, Alex Avila, is the Tigers’ backup catcher and hit .228/.316/.360 in 104 games as a 23-year-old this season.
