Tigers execs this week in Tampa held internal discussions to "plot a strategy in advance" of Friday's MLB trade deadline, presumably about whether or not they are "ready to scale back the big-spending era," according to John Niyo of the DETROIT NEWS. Ilitch Holdings President & CEO Chris Ilitch "is in charge of the family’s day-to-day business operations," and with the $650M downtown arena project the "obvious priority, what that means for the Tigers payroll going forward is uncertain." Niyo: "Same goes for [Tigers President, CEO & GM Dave] Dombrowski, whose contract is set to expire after this season." There are "no indications a new deal is in the works." The Tigers for much of the past decade "have been outsized spenders in pursuit of a World Series title." Even after letting P Max Scherzer "walk in free agency last winter," the team's '15 payroll "again ranks in the top five for the seventh time in eight seasons." The Tigers "could plow ahead, banking on the stars aligning," or they could "do the responsible thing and start retooling for next season, selling off some pieces to replenish a mostly barren farm system and help reshape next year’s roster." Dombrowski yesterday seemed to indicate the Tigers are "leaning toward the former, and given their track record, that wouldn’t be a surprise" (DETROIT NEWS, 7/28). In Detroit, Terry Foster wrote the most important question is who should be "leading this team back to the promised land." It is time for somebody other than Dombrowski "to lead the way." He is in the final months of his contract, and there are "no serious negotiations to bring him back now." Foster: "And there shouldn’t be." The Tigers "need a new voice ... a fresh perspective and new thinking" (DETROIT NEWS, 7/26).
