5 best moves made by the late St. Louis Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty

1. Hiring Tony La Russa to manage the St. Louis Cardinals (1996)

Tony La Russa and Walt Jocketty worked as a tandem in Oakland from 1986 when La Russa was hired as the A's manager, until 1995, when Jocketty transitioned over to the Cardinals to be their general manager. The two would be intertwined for another decade-plus after parting ways in Oakland.

All La Russa did in St. Louis was become the franchise's winningest manager and bring two World Series titles to the city.

Tony La Russa, with the help of a revamped roster, led the Cardinals to the postseason for the first time in nine years in 1996, and this was only the beginning of his success with the Cardinals. “The hiring of Tony La Russa to manage the Cardinals is a huge step in the rebuilding process of this organization,” said Jocketty of La Russa. Despite some disagreements with Ozzie Smith, Tony La Russa was able to lead a ragamuffin squad of players to the postseason.

La Russa saw great things for the Cardinals, including bringing three million fans to the stadium each year and postseason berths by the time the calendar flipped to September each year.

Jocketty saw Tony La Russa be successful in Oakland firsthand, and he wanted to bring that attitude and mentality to his new franchise in 1996. La Russa did just that, as he led the Cardinals to the postseason in nine of his 16 years with the organization. The club won two World Series titles, three National League pennants, and seven division titles. He was one of the best managers in St. Louis' history.

La Russa was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, and he became a St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer in its inaugural year in 2014, too.

Had La Russa taken a job elsewhere, something he himself said was a possibility in his book titled One Last Strike, the Cardinals could be without two World Series trophies. Jocketty's bold move to bring in La Russa in 1996 after he was fired by Oakland the year prior paid off, and it will go down as the general manager's best move in St. Louis.