After eight seasons, four trips to the ALCS, three division titles and two World Series appearances, Jim Leyland has announced his retirement as manager of the Detroit Tigers.

It's been a fun ride for the skipper. He took a team who finished with the worst record in American League history in 2003 to the World Series in 2006, his first season. While he never came away with a ring like he did as the manager of the Florida Marlins, Jim Leyland will always be remembered as one of the main reasons for Detroit's rise to prominence.

As the weather gets colder, general manager Dave Dombrowski will have a tough job to do by hiring a new coach. He made the right decision last time, and he will try to do so again. Let's take a look at some of the possible candidates.

Kirk Gibson

Gibson is a Michigan native and a former World Series-winning Tiger in 1984. He served as the team's bench coach under Alan Trammell from 2003-2005 and now serves as the manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has always been well-liked in Detroit because of his heroics in the 1984 World Series as well as his background as a star football and baseball star with the Michigan State Spartans.

It may be out of the realm of possibility for Dombrowski to pry Gibson away from the Diamondbacks, a team that just drafted Gibson's son, but he would be a great choice and a fan favorite to fill the void in Detroit.

Tony LaRussa

LaRussa and Jim Leyland are very close friends, dating back to their playing days. LaRussa's Cardinals defeated Detroit in the 2006 World Series and also went on to win the World Series in 2011 before he retired. His managerial style is very similar to that of Leyland, and it would be very unlikely to notice major differences in how the team would be run. LaRussa also helped out the Tigers during Spring Training this season.

The odds of hiring LaRussa are not very good. He went out on top with St. Louis in 2011, and it is unlikely that he would be interested in another managerial job.

Brad Ausmus

Ausmus caught for the Tigers in the late-1990s and has been referred to as the frontrunner for the job despite never managing a professional baseball team. He is currently a front office assistant for the San Diego Padres and also coached Team Israel in this year's World Baseball Classic.

Although Ausmus appears to be a strong candidate, his lack of managerial experience is alarming.

Charlie Manuel

Manuel was fired from the Philadelphia Phillies after a disappointing start to the 2013 season. He won a World Series title in 2008 as well as another National League Championship in 2009. He is a proven winner despite Philadelphia's recent troubles.

Manuel also may not be an ideal option as Leyland stressed that someone who is "younger" should take over the managerial job.

Lloyd McClendon or Gene Lamont

McClendon and Lamont both serve as assistants for the Tigers today, and while fans may not like promoting one of them to the managerial position, they both have experience at the Major League level.

McClendon is the team's hitting coach, and a Tiger hitter has won the American League batting title in six of his seven years at the position. However, he did not have a great record as a manager from 2001-2005 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lamont is currently the bench coach for the Tigers and formerly managed the Chicago White Sox as well as the Pirates. He was the American League Manager of the Year in 1993 with Chicago, but he has a total record of 553-562 at the position. He was also one of the final candidates for the Boston Red Sox managerial job last winter.

Wally Backman

Backman's name has not come up as much as the others on this list, but he could prove to be a very effective manager. He was hired to coach the Diamondbacks in the winter of 2004, but was fired after four days after the media blew a previous domestic violence charge out of proportion.

Since then, Backman has worked his way up the ladder in the New York Mets organization and is regarded as one of the best managers in the minor leagues as well as one of the most respected by players.

He currently manages the Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League (AAA).