.Former Cardinals and Reds general manager Walt Jocketty has passed away at age 74, as initially reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.  Jocketty was a fixture within baseball front offices for more than four decades, and he was the architect of the St. Louis team that won the 2006 World Series.

Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. issued a statement in memory of Jocketty, stating “On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer our condolences to Walt’s family and his many friends.  Walt was our first GM when we purchased the ball club, and he helped to lead our baseball operations through some of the franchise’s most successful and memorable years.  He will be sorely missed, but long remembered for his distinguished career in baseball.”

Known for being a canny trader, Jocketty brought McGwire and many other star names to St. Louis during his 13-year run as the Cardinals’ general manager.  Franchise icons Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina were also drafted and developed during Jocketty’s tenure, and this combination of both internal and external production again turned the Cardinals into a perennial contender. 

The Cardinals reached the playoffs six times in seven years from 2000-06, capturing two NL pennants and winning it all in 2006 for the Cardinals’ first championship since 1982.

Jocketty was fired following the 2007 season, a year in which the Cardinals seriously regressed and won only 78 games.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that there was something of a clash within the front office between Jocketty’s more old-school approach and the more analytical approach of then-Cardinals VP and future Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow.

His tenure as the GM of the Cardinals will go down as a true golden era for the team. Under his direction, the Cardinals won:

– Seven National League Central Division championships (1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006)

– Two National League Championships (2004 and 2006)

– One World Series Championship (2006)

The Cardinals had seven straight winning seasons under Jocketty, including 100+ win seasons in 2004 and 2005. Jocketty was named the Executive of the Year in MLB twice with the Cardinals (2000 and 2004).

We send out our deepest condolences to Jocketty’s family and friends during this difficult time.