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St. Louis Cardinals: Digging into the history of Cardinals GMs

ByJ.T. Buchheit|
John Mozeliak of the St. Louis Cardinals speaks to the media before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 20, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
John Mozeliak of the St. Louis Cardinals speaks to the media before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 20, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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JUPITER, UNITED STATES: St. Louis Cardinals’ General Manager Walt Jocketty (L) speaks to the media 01 March, 2001 in Jupiter, FL, after the announcement was made that slugger Mark McGwire has agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2003. McGwire will receive 30 million dollars over two years and two dollars for each ticket sold over 2.8 million. AFP PHOTO/SCOTT ROVAK (Photo credit should read SCOTT ROVAK/AFP via Getty Images)
JUPITER, UNITED STATES: St. Louis Cardinals’ General Manager Walt Jocketty (L) speaks to the media 01 March, 2001 in Jupiter, FL, after the announcement was made that slugger Mark McGwire has agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2003. McGwire will receive 30 million dollars over two years and two dollars for each ticket sold over 2.8 million. AFP PHOTO/SCOTT ROVAK (Photo credit should read SCOTT ROVAK/AFP via Getty Images)

Walt Jocketty (1994-2007)

Biggest win: Jim Edmonds

Biggest loss: Adam Kennedy, Placido Polanco

Total WAR gain: 233.3

Total WAR loss: 126

Adam Kennedy? What? That’s right, in this world of WAR, Kennedy proved to have the best career after he was traded from the Cardinals. The reason it’s not remembered as a failure is because Walt Jocketty snagged outfielder Jim Edmonds from the Anaheim Angels for him.

Placido Polanco is a similar story: While Polanco turned in good career with the Philadelphia Phillies, the player he was traded for was one Scott Rolen. Edmonds and Rolen proved to be thumpers in the middle of the lineup for years, complementing feared slugger Albert Pujols.

But let’s back up to 1997. That’s when Jocketty traded Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews and Blake Stein to the Oakland Athletics for Mark McGwire, who would shatter the single-season home run record the next year in a famous dinger duel with Sammy Sosa. It’s saying something when WAR doesn’t consider a guy who cranks 70 home runs in a season your best acquisition.

No, that goes to Edmonds, who, along with swinging a sweet left-handed stroke, was also one of the greatest defensive outfielders ever to play the game, winning eight Gold Glove awards and compiling a 42.3 WAR.

Rolen served as a fielding wizard in his own right, manning the hot corner for the Cardinals for more than five seasons and slamming 111 home runs during that time.

Finally, in December 2003, Jocketty made a move that is paying dividends to this day, sending J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero to the Atlanta Braves for pitching prospect Adam Wainwright. We all know how that turned out.

There were only a few moves of Jocketty’s that can be considered duds. One is trading eventual solid shortstop Jack Wilson to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Jason Christiansen. The other is more well known, as the Cardinals traded pitchers Dan Haren and Kiko Calero and first baseman Daric Barton to the Oakland Athletics for pitcher Mark Mulder.

Injuries and ineffectiveness plagued Mulder’s time with the Cardinals, while Haren became a very good pitcher. Still, Haren’s WAR after St. Louis is 12.2, which is lower than some might think, especially compared to Kennedy’s 15.7.

Jocketty was fired in October 2007, but he built a World Series winner in 2006 and several teams that just missed a title.

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