[REDREAD]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Walt Jocketty was a special adviser and a 6 weeks from being named GM when the Reds brought on Corey Patterson. Walt was the GM when the Reds brought on Willy Taveras.

I'll give you Taveras.. Walt inherited a team full of holes and in rebuild mode and chose to roll the dice on WTavares as a reclamation project. However, he did manage to dump him a year later. In the end, no real damage done.

You can't blame him for Corey Patterson.. That's all on Wayne K.. Now in Wayne's defense, I don't think it was a horrible gamble.. it was like 1 year/3 million (IIRC) and the Reds were a horrible defensive team that desperately needed a defensive upgrade. So in the grand scheme of things, Wayne certainly had much worse offenses than Patterson.

Walt deserves an A++++++++ for his tenure here as a whole. By the time he retires, he may be the best GM the Reds have had in my lifetime.

Just think.. if someone on Redszone proposed trading Stubbs + Didi for Choo with the Indians eating the salary difference, I think that poster would be laughed at for proposing a fantasy trade. Yet, Walt made it happen. Honestly, I think bringing back Broxton and Ludwick at reasonable prices deserves praise too.