Is Walt Jocketty Too Old?
Via Redleg Nation, I saw this quote from Cincinnati Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty about some of the trades the team is working on.
There are two deals we can do right now, but it would probably take a lot of our top prospects and I’m always a little nervous about doing that. So I’ll spend a little more time analyzing that.
On its surface, it makes sense. Of course, you should do your due diligence when making trades. You don’t want to be the Houston Astros trading away Joe Morgan. But then again, doesn’t it seem like Jocketty has been cautious and careful to the Nth degree the whole time he’s been in charge of the Reds?
There are a lot of younger general managers leading teams in baseball now. Jocketty, at 60, is certainly one of the older ones. Has he become too cautious? I hope not. Obviously, being young and trigger-happy can be dangerous–just ask Wayne Krivsky–but when I think about the Reds’ lack of daring in the trades and acquisition department for the last year and a half, I do wonder if Jocketty’s lost some of those trading skills he had with the St. Louis Cardinals.