Over a year after firing Al Avila, the Detroit Tigers have finally found their new GM, hiring Jeff Greenberg to operate under president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
On the surface, it’s a bit of a strange hire, considering Greenberg comes over from the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, where he’s worked as the team’s assistant GM for the past 16 months. But a deeper look into Greenberg’s background reveals that he and Harris have worked together before, meaning the Tigers’ president already knows what to expect from his new hire.
While Greenberg’s most recent work shows his involvement in hockey, he previously spent 11 seasons with the Chicago Cubs alongside Harris, giving him a much stronger baseball background than he had in the NHL. His time in Chicago even included helping the Cubs win their World Series in 2016, which involved helping build scouting strategies and data systems before also adding some day-to-day roster moves to his plate too.
Aside from becoming the 20th GM in Tigers history, Greenberg has held titles such as director of baseball operations, director of pro scouting, assistant to the GM, and more. The Tigers plan to officially announce Greenberg as the team’s new GM with a press conference on Tuesday, September 26, from Comerica Park, giving fans a better chance to learn more about their team’s newest hire.
Set to miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, Greenberg will have a lot of opportunities to re-shape the roster this offseason, which is expected to include Miguel Cabrera’s retirement after a historic career.
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