CHICAGO -- Ron Gardenhire had hesitated to speak definitively about his future as Tigers manager for most of September, preferring to wait until he talked with general manager Al Avila at season’s end. But with one day left in the Tigers' season, he spoke a little more confidently on Saturday.

“We haven’t finalized anything,” Gardenhire cautioned. “But we’re working with the coaches and trying to get all those guys taken care of. I have a contract. [Avila] wants me to go to meetings during the winter, so I think he wants me back.”

That should be an indication the Tigers won’t make massive changes to the coaching staff, at least the kind that would make the fiercely loyal Gardenhire consider stepping away from the final year on his deal. Still, Gardenhire isn’t ready to declare anything about his staff yet.

“It’s a work in progress. Believe me, it really is,” Gardenhire said. “We’ve already had conversations about everything, and we’re not announcing anything until the season’s over with. And Al will make those announcements.”

Avila is not on the season-ending trip. He’s expected to make his traditional end-of-season remarks in Detroit shortly after season’s end, which will likely include the matter of coaches.

Gardenhire’s coaching staff is a mix of carryovers from his old Twins staff, holdovers from the previous staff in Detroit and hires made by Avila. Gardenhire has been loyal to all of them for the work they’ve put into a long season, but he could have some difficult decisions to make.

Detroit’s offensive struggles have put a spotlight on hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who has served in the role for 10 of the last 13 seasons under three Tigers managers. This year’s team could end up with the dual infamy of leading the American League in strikeouts while finishing last in home runs. The Tigers entered Saturday's doubleheader ranked last in the AL in scoring by more than 100 runs, and also sit last in the AL in on-base and slugging percentage.

Numbers aside, there’s a debate over how much responsibility a coach should carry for a rebuilding team that entered the season with an underpowered and inexperienced lineup. Several times this season, the Tigers fielded lineups that had no hitters with a full year in the Majors, aside from Miguel Cabrera and former Rule 5 pick Victor Reyes.

Cabrera arguably salvaged his season with help from McClendon, who worked with the former Triple Crown winner to revamp his swing and take pressure off his chronically aching right knee. Meanwhile, young hitters like Reyes and Harold Castro have shown progress down the stretch with help from coaching.

The Tigers have a former hitting coach on staff in quality control coach Joe Vavra, who was Gardenhire’s hitting coach in Minnesota from 2006-12. Such a shift in roles, however, would take Vavra away from his role as the frontman for the Tigers’ analytics implementation on the field.

The Tigers have a similar challenge evaluating pitching coach Rick Anderson, whose staff has posted the highest ERA of any AL club besides the Orioles, but has also churned through 31 pitchers -- not counting utilityman Brandon Dixon. The position carries particular importance for the future -- the Tigers’ rebuilding effort hinges in large part on their handful of highly regarded pitching prospects who should begin arriving in Detroit by the end of next season.

The Tigers have had extra hitting and pitching coaches for most of September with Triple-A Toledo coaches Mike Hessman and Juan Nieves joining the staff.

Where is the glove for Castro?

The Tigers are evaluating whether rookie Willi Castro can stick at shortstop long term. One factor that could play into it is glove size.

“I told him he needs a little bigger glove,” Gardenhire said. “I see too much ball when he catches a ball one-handed. You see it. Normally it goes in the glove. We’re not talking about a monster glove.”

Infield coach Ramon Santiago said the difference is small but notable, from 11 1/2 inches to 11 3/4.

"He has what is typically a second baseman's glove. A shortstop needs a little more reach,” Santiago said. “You go to make a play and the glove is so short, maybe you miss that play by an inch. This is a game of inches, right? Every inch you can get is an advantage. He needs a little bigger glove."

That could be tested this fall when he reports to the Dominican League. He’ll play for Escogido, one of the more prestigious teams in the league. Santiago plans on spending 10 days there to work with him.

Mechanically, the Tigers are still working with him. Though his range allows him to reach a lot of ground balls, Santiago would like him to get in front of more balls rather than field them on the side. Many of his misplays, meanwhile, have been on throws rather than fielding plays.

“This is too small of a sample for me to make a decision,” Gardenhire said. “We’ll get to Spring Training. If he comes to Spring Training and shows he’s able to make those adjustments, then he’ll have a better chance of starting in the big leagues.

“I think he’s done OK. He has made some errors, and they’re mechanical things. It’s technique, and he needs to get straightened out on that.”

Jackson has no plans to retire

While Friday’s rainout denied Edwin Jackson one more start this season, he did pitch three innings of relief in Detroit's Game 1 loss to Chicago on Saturday. He punched out two and allowed three runs on four hits. The outing probably won’t mark the end of Jackson’s pitching tenure in the big leagues.

“I have no plans on being done,” Jackson said. “As long as I’m still healthy, I have no plans to retire or anything like that.”

Jackson turned 36 earlier this month, but has kept himself in very good shape. His struggles this year came down to hittable pitches and issues inducing swings and misses.