Former St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds GM Walt Jocketty Dies at 74

Walt Jocketty held various front office positions with the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds over his five decades in MLB.

Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty and manager Dusty Baker (12) talk during batting practice against the Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ball Park. | Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

Walt Jocketty, who spent decades leading multiple MLB front offices, has died at the age of 74.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale was among the first to pass along the news, before MLB released honorary remarks of their own.

Jocketty got his start in the Oakland Athletics' front office, eventually rising through the ranks to become the club's Director of Baseball Administration. During his time in Oakland, the A's won three pennants and one World Series title.

Following a brief stint as the Colorado Rockies' assistant general manager in 1994, Jocketty was named the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals that fall. He won MLB Executive of the Year twice, guiding the Cardinals to seven NL Central titles, two pennants and one World Series championship.

On top of hiring Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa, Jocketty also drafted Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols and traded for Chris Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen and Adam Wainwright, just to name a few of his most notable additions.

Jocketty was eventually fired in 2007, but the Cincinnati Reds made him their general manager a few months later. He won another NL Central title in 2010, gathering another Executive of the Year honor, and eventually ascended to president of baseball operations. He had been the Reds' executive advisor to the CEO since 2016.

We are saddened by the passing of longtime baseball operations executive Walt Jocketty.

As General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals for 13 seasons alongside Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, his teams made 7 Postseason appearances, won 2 National League pennants, and the… pic.twitter.com/axubtpA8dT

— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2025

The Minnesota native also helped found the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League, leaving a lasting mark on minor league baseball as a whole.

Per Nightengale, Jocketty had been battling "serious" health issues for the past two years. The Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams that plan to honor Jocketty with a moment of silence on Saturday.

Several teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, are planning a moment of silence today in honor of Jocketty. https://t.co/A3aaxL4NkP

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 26, 2025

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