Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski joined Jim Bowden and Casey Stern of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this afternoon. Here are a few highlights from Dombrowski's appearance…
- When asked about signing Alex Avila to a multiyear contract, Dombrowski hinted that the team will wait until the offseason before deciding about extensions for the Tigers' young stars. "We've got a lot of guys who are in that two-to-three year [of service time] group. You need to look at your whole group and see how things fit. You're probably talking about a lot of guys that warrant those type of long-term deals," Dombrowski said, citing Avila along with Brennan Boesch, Doug Fister, Austin Jackson, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer. "For us right now we're in a situation where we're very comfortable to go throughout the year and we can address those situations as we approach the wintertime."
- The recently-retired Ivan Rodriguez holds "a special place in the hearts" of the Tigers front office. Rodriguez signed with the Tigers in the 2003-04 offseason, going from the World Series champion Marlins to a Detroit team coming off an AL-record 119 losses. Dombrowski credits the Rodriguez signing as the first move that helped return the club to respectability.
- From Bowden's Twitter account, Dombrowski said that Victor Martinez could possibly return to action in August or September based on his latest medicals. Martinez suffered a torn ACL in January that was expected to cost him the entire 2012 season, and also spurred the Tigers' acquisition of Prince Fielder.
