Earlier this season there was speculation that Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty could be on the hot seat due to the team's poor performance over the last two years. He relinquished his role as GM today, but he will still remain with the organization.
Assistant general manager Dick Williams was promoted to general manager and Jocketty will remain the team's president of baseball operations, the Reds announced on Twitter earlier today.
...Walt Jocketty will remain the Reds' President of Baseball Operations and will continue to oversee the department...
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) November 4, 2015
Dick Williams has been promoted to Senior Vice President, General Manager. He will assume those duties immediately...
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) November 4, 2015
Williams, 44, has been with the Reds for 10 years, but last season was his first as assistant GM. Nonetheless, both Jocketty and owner Bob Castellini are confident he can take over the GM position.
"Eight seasons ago, we trusted Walt to provide this organization with leadership, and he produced championship-caliber teams," Castellini said, via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "Walt reset the expectations and culture of this franchise. He and his staff have been responsible for our return to the postseason in recent years and I know Dick has the qualities and ability to continue that tradition of success in the future. As a small-market team, we will always continue to look for ways to innovate. As we have done in recent years, the Reds will continue to work harder and smarter to make up for our relatively limited resources."
Cincinnati has made the playoffs three times over the past six seasons, but have gotten particularly unlucky with injuries in 2014 and 2015. The team combined for a 140-184 record over that span under manager Bryan Price, who will also return in 2016.
Jocketty's final year as GM was expected to be 2016 and it was said he would step down and serve as an advisor as the team searched for a new candidate. However, the Reds opted to make that change now with an in-house executive to perhaps maintain continuity.
While all of that information has been confirmed by the team, there have since been a couple updates on the matter that have yet to be officially announced.
Both Sheldon and C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer are reporting that Jocketty will slide into an advisory role after the 2016 season and remain with the club through 2018. Sheldon is also reporting that Williams signed a three-year deal as general manager.
Stay tuned for updates on those developments as we wait for the Reds to make confirmations.
