Walt Jocketty: Former Cardinals GM Passes Away at 74

Walt Jocketty signing autographs during a Reds Caravan stop in Louisville, Ky. Photo by Danielle Solzman/Dugout Dirt.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced over the weekend that long-time team executive Walt Jocketty has passed away at the age of 74. No cause of death was announced.

Walter (Walt) Joseph Jocketty, who is survived by his wife Susan and their two children, Ashley and Joey, held the title of General Manager for the Cardinals from 1994-2007, including the team’s World Championship season in 2006.

“On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer our condolences to Walt’s family and his many friends,” said Cardinals’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill DeWitt, Jr. “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.”

Years ago, I had an opportunity to speak with Walt Jocketty during a Reds Caravan stop in January 2013. It was days after the passing of St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial.

“Well, just a lot of great times with him,” Jocketty said of his favorite memories of Musial at the time. “He was a great, great man. Very humble and he was always a lot of fun. He would always tell stories. He had some magic tricks that he did all the time. We saw him like 10 or 12 times, but you still laugh and still enjoy what he did because he was just a neat guy. Really nice man.”

Under Walt Jocketty, the Cardinals reached the postseason seven times while compiling a .536 overall winning percentage (1,117-968 record). They won the 2006 World Championship, two National League pennants and six N.L. Central Division titles. St. Louis reached the 100-win plateau in 2004 (105 – tied for second most in franchise history) and 2005 (100).

Walt Jocketty made a transformational decision in October 1995 when he hired Tony La Russa, who would go on to become the winningest manager in club annals and be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jocketty also revamped the team’s roster, and in 1996 the Cardinals returned to postseason play for the first time in nine seasons.

Walt Jocketty’s bold transactions were key to the organization’s steadfast success – highlighted by acquiring first baseman Mark McGwire from the Oakland A’s in 1997, third baseman Scott Rolen from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2002 and pitcher Adam Wainwright from the Atlanta Braves in 2003, and signing pitchers Jason Isringhausen and Chris Carpenter as free agents in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Leading up to the 2000 campaign, Jocketty became the first general manager in baseball history to trade for a 20-game winner (Darryl Kile from the Colorado Rockies) and a 40-home run hitter (Jim Edmonds from the Anaheim Angels) in the same offseason. Jocketty also was instrumental in building the Cardinals through the Draft, helping to land future stars like Matt Morris (1995), Albert Pujols (1999) and Yadier Molina (2000).

Walt Jocketty was named the MLB Executive of the Year in 2000 and 2004. Also in 2004, he received the Rube Foster Legacy Award from the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame as the N.L. Executive of the Year. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Before coming to the Cardinals, Jocketty served as assistant general manager/player personnel for the Colorado Rockies in 1994. Previously, he was with the Athletics for 14 years as director of minor league operations and scouting and director of baseball administration. While with the Athletics, Jocketty played a key role in establishing the Arizona Rookie League and the Dominican Summer League. He also served on MLB’s operations committee. Jocketty’s first job in professional baseball was with the Triple-A Iowa Oaks, where La Russa was the manager in 1979.

From 2008-15, Walt Jocketty was president of baseball operations and general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, and he subsequently served as executive advisor to chief executive officer Robert H. Castellini, beginning in 2016 and up until his passing in 2025. After the 2014 season, Jocketty received the John Schuerholz Award honoring his 20 years of service as a general manager.

A native of Minneapolis, Walt Jocketty attended Marshall High School and played baseball, basketball, football and hockey. The school’s nickname was Cardinals.

May Walt Jocketty’s memory be a blessing.