The speculation begins hours after news that Tigers Manager Brad Ausmus won't return next season. As the team starts looking for a replacement, fans and media consider candidates.
Veteran baseball write Lynn Henning of The Detroit News names eight possibilities. Here's a sampling of his picks and descriptions:
Alex Cora
1. Alex Cora, Astros bench coach: Hasn’t managed, but is considered a sure bet to head a big-league team. He was a long-time big-league infielder, he played at the University of Miami, he has been an ESPN analyst, and he has been working as A.J. Hinch’s co-pilot with the Astros.
2. Dave Martinez, Cubs bench coach: Regularly mentioned as a next-in-line hire when a manager’s job opens, Martinez, who next week turns 53, is a bright guy with a long big-league dossier, and the cachet that comes with being Joe Maddon’s bench coach.
3. Bo Porter, Braves special assistant: Porter managed the Astros at the wrong time — as they were rebuilding — and was fired in 2014, soon to be replaced by A.J. Hinch. Porter had earlier been bench coach under Kirk Gibson with the Diamondbacks after Gibson replaced Hinch, who’d been fired. Porter is fiery and only 45.
- Hitting coach Lloyd McClendon
- Omar Vizquel, the team's first base, infield and running coach
