Cardinals And GM Jocketty Split

Cardinals chariman Bill DeWitt and president Mark Lamping announced that Walt Jocketty is leaving the team.

They said it was a mutual decision.  Jocketty had one year left on his contract.  One of the big underlying stories that may have helped lead to the split was how unhappy Jocketty was with the promotion of Jeff Luhnow within the organization.  Luhnow oversees all player development, and Jocketty felt it should have been split up.

Neither DeWitt or Lamping could comment on how this would affect Tony LaRussa’s decision on staying with the team.  In thirteen seasons, Jocketty assembled a team for LaRussa that led to seven division titles, two World Series appearances and a championship.

One rumor has Jocketty possible taking over the GM reigns at Cincinnati.  That could also mean a departure for LaRussa.