Jocketty
« That's (Finally) A Winner! | Main | You Think Baseball Has Problems »The Birdhouse pointed out a Bob Nightengale column in Sports Weekly in which we learn Jocketty's getting lowball offers from the Cardinals. A Google news search (Google in general is the greatest thing ever, and Google News in particular is cool beyond words) turns up this link. Thus spaketh Bob Nightengale:
St. Louis offered Jocketty a three-year, $2.1 million extension — paying him $650,000, $700,000 and $750,000 — well below market price considering Jocketty's tenure. Jocketty, 54, not only would remain one of the lowest-paid GMs in baseball, but he would be paid nearly one-third of what GMs John Hart of Texas and David Dombrowski of Detroit get. They earn $2 million a year.
I don't know what to make of these rumors. It's possible that the numbers are wrong and it's possible that the rumor of Jocketty replacing Garagiola is just a negotiating ploy. Again I don't know, but if the reported numbers are accurate, then ownership isn't that interested in retaining Jocketty and Jocketty's been on the other side of the table enough to recognize that.
LaRussa of course already has his big extension, which suggests the Cardinals are taking the anti-Moneyball approach of prizing their field manager and regarding their front office talent as easily replaceable.
Posted by Rob at January 27, 2005 11:59 PMI hope this is all inaccurate. I can understand a casual fan not valuing Jocketty all that highly, since he doesn't talk much about his plans and doesn't toot his own horn. But surely ownership knows the value of what they've got there, right?
Posted by: Levi at January 28, 2005 09:17 AMOn the news last night they referenced the same information from the same sources, but also mentioned that Walt recently (like within the last week) just moved into a new house in the St. Louis area that he had built, even though his contract is over after the 2004 season. Take that for what it's worth.
Posted by: Robb at January 28, 2005 09:35 AMOffered salary to Walt Jocketty, 2005: $650,000
Offered salary to So Taguchi, 2005: $550,000
If it's true it has to be deliberate. Ownership fawns enough over La Russa to make it clear they understand how to court a potential employee. I wonder if they have someone in mind?
Posted by: josh at January 28, 2005 11:16 AMObviously I hope this is not accurate. Brian puts it into great perspective there. GM salaries aren't as widely known/discussed as player salaries, but obviously Walt is one of the best, and deserves to be paid as such.
Posted by: John at January 28, 2005 05:31 PMThe P-D has an article on this subject in which they seem to downplay the situation, citing reasons why DeWitt and Jocketty haven't had much time to negotiate (the Mulder trade, the Bush inaugeration, Jocketty moving into a new home, etc.) They also say, "DeWitt declined to discuss the specific salary figures cited by Bob Nightengale of USA Today's Sports Weekly, who wrote that Jocketty had been offered a three-year, $2.1 million deal by the Cardinals. But multiple team sources told the Post-Dispatch that the Cardinals’ offer to Jocketty was higher than three years and $2.1 million." Let's hope the P-D has better sources on this matter than USA Today.
Posted by: John at January 28, 2005 06:37 PMIt's a rumor and while I'm sick of offseason rumors, it's such a big story that I thought someone had to mention it. I feel dirty just pointing it out, but the brass certainly have handled the whole matter awkwardly.
Posted by: Rob at January 28, 2005 09:29 PM