DETROIT – Ron Gardenhire has made it clear he wants to be back as Tigers manager to see the rebuilding process along. Detroit general manager Al Avila and chairman/CEO Christopher Ilitch have both indicated they intend to have him back for the final year on his contract. The indication from both sides is that he should be back.

So why no formal announcement, as the Tigers did for Gardenhire’s predecessor, Brad Ausmus? That’s because the future of Gardenhire’s coaching staff has yet to be discussed. When those talks take place around season’s end, it could be an issue. At the very least, it has enough potential to be an issue that Gardenhire had notably little reaction to his own situation.

“It’s always up to the boss, and Al has said, ‘I want you back.’ I don’t have to worry about that,” Gardenhire said of his status prior to the Tigers’ thrilling 8-4 victory over the Orioles on Saturday night at Comerica Park. “Now we’ll have to have a conversation on the rest of it. [It’s] not about an extension; I don’t give a [care] about that. That’s to be determined. I want to talk about my coaches more than anything else.

“I defend those guys no matter what happens here. That would be hard for me to take, if anything happens to my coaches. Those are the conversations we’re going to have.”

Though the final win-loss totals are yet to be counted, the Tigers are assured of their worst record since their 119-loss season of 2003. They could still become the first team in Major League history to lose 60 home games in a season. That type of year often has consequences, though not always. The 2003 season was the first year at the helm for manager Alan Trammell and his coaching staff, which returned without changes.

Like Gardenhire, most of his coaches are completing their second season in Detroit, having come over with him. The exceptions are hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who is in his 11th season on the Tigers coaching staff under three different managers, and third-base coach Dave Clark, who has been on staff since Ausmus was hired as Tigers manager before the 2014 season.

In that sense, Gardenhire’s staff is an interesting mix of coaches he brought over from his staff as Twins manager -- notably pitching coach Rick Anderson, bench coach Steve Liddle and quality control coach Joe Vavra -- and coaches he inherited. First-base coach Ramon Santiago and assistant hitting coach Phil Clark fit neither category, as both are former Tigers brought on by Gardenhire for their first coaching opportunities. Bullpen coach Jeff Pico was a midseason promotion last year after the Tigers fired pitching coach Chris Bosio and promoted Anderson into his current job.

The results haven’t been there but, just as important to Gardenhire, the work has. And Gardenhire appears ready to go to bat for all of them.

“It’s not defending them; that’s a bad word,” Gardenhire said. “It’s just having their back. I’m watching them do all this work here and they’re my friends, not only my coaches. We all work together and I care about them, so that’s what any manager would do, not just me. Any manager does that, because they’re your people. I’ve watched them do all the work here. Ultimately, the decision doesn’t always come down to me. It comes down to what Al and [the front office] talk about. No one has said a word, but we will [talk about it] eventually.”

Of particular interest could be the staff focused on the offense, given the Tigers’ struggles. At the heart of it, the Tigers have to determine whether McClendon and others got as much as could be expected out of a roster that had little proven production beyond Miguel Cabrera and Nicholas Castellanos, the latter of whom was traded to the Cubs on July 31 and has gone on a late-season tear. Detroit began the season with a veteran middle infield of Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison, who had a track record but not health.

The Tigers entered Saturday worst in the Majors in on-base percentage, runs scored and strikeouts, and last in the American League in slugging percentage, home runs and OPS. The struggles are not for lack of effort.

“The hitting guys are together, Lloyd and Phil, and they’re constantly talking about what we can do to help [these guys], and they’re tireless in the cage all the time,” Gardenhire said. “That’s their job. Santi’s done a nice job with the infielders. He comes and asks me about drills that I did when I was an infield guy. So there’s communication there; I watch them. Dave [works with] the outfielders; he’s non-stop.”

Gardenhire’s coaching staffs in Minnesota had their share of changes over the years, but usually not much from year to year. The two constants were Anderson and Liddle. Despite the Tigers’ struggles this season, it’s unlikely Gardenhire’s staff would be overhauled; replacing coaches isn’t easy under a manager entering the final year of his contract.

Whether any potential changes would make Gardenhire willing to step away from his second managerial opportunity remains to be seen.