Grumpy old Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is impatient with money to burn

Bob Hille

Grumpy old Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is impatient with money to burn image

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch made a rare appearance and even talked with the media during and after Monday's introduction of new starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.

Ilitch, 86, touched on several topics — including the Zimmermann signing — but things got interesting when he talked about departed pitcher Max Scherzer and GM Dave Dombrowski (via CBS DetroitESPN.com and the Detroit News).

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On Scherzer's declining a $144 million contract extension offered in 2014: 

“We made him an offer and it looked like he was going to take it, then all of the sudden he wanted a little bit more and it was a great number. It irked me a little bit. I figured, ‘How much do you want? I just asked you what you wanted.’ Then he tells me he wants more. So, forgot about him.”

On Dombrowski's exit and defining success as celebrating championships: 

“I didn’t win with him. We were close, he’s a great guy, but there’s times that you have to change. You’re not winning, you have to change. So I made up my mind — I have to change. So I called him and I told him like a gentleman."

On his willingness to pay for players, such as Zimmermann (5 years, $110 million):

"I think I proved that. I've been in baseball for a lot of years. I didn't care about spending money. [The GMs] get the players, and I spend, and I don't worry about it because they have good judgment."

On his message to Dombrowski's successor, Al Avila: 

"I don't care about the money. I want the best players."

On MLB's luxury tax if he continues to spend: 

"I'm supposed to be a good boy and not go over [the threshold]. If I'm going to get certain players that can help us a lot, I'll go over it. Oops, I shouldn't have said that."

Bob Hille

Bob Hille Photo

Bob Hille, a senior content consultant for The Sporting News, has been part of the TSN team for most of the past 30 years, including as managing editor and executive editor. He is a native of Texas (forever), adopted son of Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado State, and longtime fan of “Bull Durham” (h/t Annie Savoy for The Sporting News mention).