After 13 years, seven playoff appearances, and the 10th World Series championship in franchise history, the Cardinals and general manager Walt Jocketty parted ways amid reports of conflict and division in the front office. In making the announcement, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said that the Cardinals and their 56-year-old general manager had “cordially and […]
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One year after acquiring slugger Mark McGwire at the trade deadline, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty found himself as a seller at the 1998 deadline, sending starting pitcher Todd Stottlemyre and shortstop Royce Clayton to the Texas Rangers for starting pitcher Darren Oliver, third baseman Fernando Tatis, and a player to be named later. That
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When the Cardinals signed Mike Matheny on December 15, 1999, they were just looking for a veteran backstop to play alongside Eli Marrero. Instead, they found a future Gold Glove Award winner and the franchise’s next manager. General manager Walt Jocketty was seeking a veteran catcher to complement Marrero, who had hit just .192 the
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Bobby Bonilla may have twice finished in the top three of the National League MVP voting, but to many Cardinals fans, his greatest legacy may lie in the six games he missed at the beginning of the 2001 season. On January 5, 2001, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty signed Bonilla Bonilla to a one-year, $900,000
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In 2001, Tino Martinez was so eager to come to St. Louis that he called Walt Jocketty to be sure the Cardinals’ general manager knew he was available – and interested. “I approached them and asked them to consider me in their plans, if I’d fit in,” Martinez said. “‘My agent will be in Boston.
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As he started preparing for the 1997 season, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty was looking for a second baseman who could hit for power or inherit the top spot in the St. Louis lineup. On November 20, 1996, he opted for the latter, signing Delino DeShields to a one-year contract with a team option for a
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Eighteen years after Tony La Russa ended his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate, he was named the 48th manager in franchise history. On October 23, 1995, general manager Walt Jocketty signed La Russa to a two-year contract to manage the Cardinals, ending a 10-year run with the Oakland Athletics in which
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After three years of trade rumors, Angels general manager Bill Stoneman emphatically announced that he had no intention of trading Jim Edmonds. Four days later, on March 23, 2000, Edmonds became a St. Louis Cardinal in a deal that sent pitcher Kent Bottenfield and second base prospect Adam Kennedy to the Angels. “When we heard
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After winning 22 games and placing third in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2001, Cardinals right-hander Matt Morris was arguably at the height of his negotiating power. At a time when many players would have called their agent to begin laying the groundwork for a new contract that would take full advantage
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When David Eckstein signed with the Cardinals on December 23, 2004, he couldn’t help but think of his last visit to St. Louis almost 2 ½ years earlier. The second-year major-league shortstop was leading off for the Angels on June 18, 2002, the same day the Cardinals were hosting a pregame memorial service in honor
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