Apr 23rd 2008 12:06PM by Pat Lackey
Before last season even ended, rumors were swirling in Cincinnati that owner Bob Castellini was going to try and hire his friend Walt Jocketty away from from St. Louis to replace sitting GM Wayne Krivsky. Castellini denied those rumors, then hired Jocketty as a consultant anyways. That means that the news leaking out of the Reds’ offices this morning that Krivsky is being fired and Jocketty is going to be his replacement isn’t exactly surprising.

It’s hard to say exactly what the last straw was for Krivsky. Was it giving in to Dusty Baker, signing Corey Patterson and demoting Jay Bruce? Was it actually hiring Baker in the first place? Or was this going to happen somewhere down the road eventually and Castellini and Jocketty decided now was as good a time as any? The Reds’ 9-12 start isn’t great, but it’s certainly not unexpected, so it’s probably the last one. Every owner wants his own GM in place and Castellini should be no different.

Ultimately, Krivsky’s legacy is going to be mixed in Cincinnati. He made some great moves (plucking Brandon Phillips off waivers for a PTBNL, drafting Jay Bruce) and some awful ones (the Austin Kearns trade and his weird obsession with middle relievers in general). In the end though, he’d managed to stockpile a ton of young talent that was ready for the big leagues all at the same time, and that makes his firing seem at least a little unfair, despite all the criticisms surrounding him. He’ll certainly be stewing if the Reds make the playoffs next year and Jocketty takes all the credit.