The Best of the Walter Years: 2008-present

Yes, he dips his green beans in Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry. And yes, he runs the Cincinnati Reds.

On April 23, 2008, the Cincinnati Reds named Walt Jocketty to general manager and president of baseball operations. The Reds were coming off their seventh straight losing season, but had plenty of hope for a better future invested in a boatload of talented prospects.

As we know, the Reds were able to change the losing culture we were all too familiar with once Jocketty took over.

In the seven seasons prior to Walt, the Reds averaged 73 wins to 89 losses. After Walt, Cincy averaged 83 wins to 79 losses. Of course the seven-year stretch of success included two NL Central division title, one wild card berth and a very impressive 97-win season in 2012. The 2012 team won the most games by a Reds squad since the 102 wins the 1976 Big Red Machine accumulated.

Below are my five favorite Walt acquisitions since he took over in 2008:

1. Jan. 11, 2010 — Signed Aroldis Chapman as an amateur free agent

No question this move goes down as Walt's magnus opus of transactions. The Reds signed arguably the most electric pitcher in MLB history to a six-year deal worth $30 million at the time. Chap has earned a career WAR of 10.7, has a 15.41 K/9 rate and is fourth in franchise history with 135 saves. It's unfortunate, though, that we never found out his potential as a starter. Chapman could have been the next Randy Johnson if given the opportunity.

2. Dec. 11, 2012 — In a three-team trade, acquired Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald from the Cleveland Indians for Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorius

Sure it turned out to be a one-year rental, but the timing couldn't have been better. Choo accumulated a WAR of 5.5 and a slash line of .285/.423/.462 with a career-high 107 runs scored and 151 wRC+. The Choo-Choo train helped the Reds earn a wild-card berth in 2013 then promptly signed a massive deal with the Texas Rangers. Since bolting for Texas, Choo hasn't come close to the player he was in Cincinnati. The deal is even more of a win considering Stubbs never reached his potential and Gregorius was blocked by Zack Cozart.

3. April 3, 2012 — Claimed Alfredo Simon off of waivers from the Baltimore Orioles

Here was a move that was met with silence when Simon was plucked off the waiver wire. Walt certainly hit with this addition. Simon was immediately plugged into the long-man role out of the bullpen and adapted rather nicely for two seasons. In 2012 and 2013, Simon pitched 148.2 innings with a 2.79 ERA as a reliever. In 2014, he became invaluable as he jumped to the rotation to pitch 196.1 innings with a 3.44 ERA. Walt sold high on the Simon pick-up as he flipped him to Detroit prior to the 2015 season for promising SS Eugenio Suarez and the Tigers 2013 first-round pick pitcher Jon Crawford. Well played, Walt.

4. Dec. 17, 2011 — Traded Yonder Alonso, Brad Boxberger, Yasmani Grandal and Edinson Volquez to the San Diego Padres for Mat Latos

This is your classic case of a trade gone well for both sides of the table. The Padres received a boatload of talent to help solidify a treading roster and the Reds grabbed a young, controllable arm to pair with an already stable starting staff. At the time of the trade, Alonso was viewed as the stud of the package heading to San Diego. He's been a very average first baseman for the Padres, though. Grandal was flipped to Los Angeles in the Matt Kemp deal where he earned an all-star selection this summer and Boxberger was traded to Tampa Bay where he also was selected to the All-Star team. Latos put together two outstanding seasons with the Reds in 2012 and '13 logging 200 innings in each year. He earned a total WAR of 9.5 in three years and helped the Reds earn a division title in 2012 and a wild-card berth in 2013.

2. April 1, 2011 — Traded Juan Francisco to the Atlanta Braves for J.J. Hoover

When the Reds shipped out Francisco to the Braves, I'll admit I was a little upset. The guy showed incredible power from the left side of the plate and third baseman Scott Rolen was nearing retirement. But the Reds clearly saw something in Hoover and pulled the trigger. There's no question Hoover has had his ups and downs in a Reds uniform. All in all, though, he's been a steady piece to the bullpen while still playing for rookie minimum. Last season was ugly as he earned a whopping 10 losses and  a 1.87 HR/9. Hoover, though, has put together three very productive seasons on the cheap and that certainly earns a thumbs up.