Walt Jocketty Can Leave His Mark on the Cincinnati Reds in 2008

The firing of Cincinnati Reds GM Wayne Krivsky on Apr. 23rd came as a surprise and sent shock waves through the entire organization.

The drastic move by Reds CEO Bob Castellini sent a stern message to all in the organization that losing wasn't going to be tolerated. The move, which was criticized by many, led to comparisons to New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

However, it came as no surprise when at the Krivsky press conference it was announced that former St. Louis Cardinals GM, and at that time, Reds special assistant to the owner, Walt Jocketty, would be filling the vacancy.

The move is interesting from the standpoint that from a baseball philosophy, Krivsky and Jocketty are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Krivsky's background is scouting, and his approach was to build the franchise up from the minor leagues.

On the other hand, Jocketty is more of a trades and free agent guy who had great success in his 13-year stint  in St. Louis, where the Cardinals went to the postseason seven times and won a world series in 2006.

It would be wrong of me to not mention the accomplishments of former general managers Dan O'Brien and Wayne Krivsky, who loaded the Reds' minor league system with tons of talent, making it one of the top-five best according to several baseball publications.

With that being said, Jocketty will have numerous decisions, not only during the 2008 season but in the offseason as well. As it stands, the current Reds team need hitting and needs it bad. The roster is full of too many left-handed batters that either hit home runs or strikeout.

The pitching, for the most part, has been good. The Reds could use another proven starter, and possibly two, given the recent decline of number two starter Bronson Arroyo. There are options to fill those roles in the minors, most notably with touted prospect Homer Bailey.

Jocketty's first big decisions will regard Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn. With Griffey Jr., the Reds can exercise an option for Griffey in 2009, but at a steep price of $16.5 million and a $4 million buyout. Exercising the option seems unlikely at this stage of Griffey's career, and his latest words are that he wants to be traded to a contender.

Dunn will be a free agent at the end of the season, and he has done nothing this season on the field to convince the Reds that they need to sign him to a long term deal. Trading one or both of them is a possibility, but it is uncertain what the demand for either of them at this time would be.

The decision doesn't stop with Griffey and Dunn, as there will be 11 other free agents at seasons end. The 11 players are: catchers Javier Valentin, Paul Bako, and David Ross, first baseman Scott Hatteberg, utility player Jerry Hairston Jr., outfielder Corey Patterson, and pitchers David Weathers, Kent Mercker, Mike Lincoln, Jeremy Affeldt, and Josh Fogg.

Hatteberg and Fogg could more than likely be traded this season, and other than Weathers, Lincoln, and Affeldt, the others could be let go.

Ultimately though, it will be Jocketty's call, and given the Reds' situation, along with his own background, there aren't many other general managers you would want in this situation.