Bill Lajoie | |
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| Born | (1934-09-27)September 27, 1934 Wyandotte, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 2010(2010-12-28) (aged 76) Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Baseball executive |
William Richard Lajoie (September 27, 1934 – December 28, 2010) was an Americanprofessional baseball player,manager,scout and front-office executive. Thegeneral manager of theDetroit Tigers ofMajor League Baseball from 1984 to 1990, he helped to build, then served as GM of, the world champion1984 Tigers.
Born inWyandotte, Michigan, Lajoie attendedWestern Michigan University, earning aBachelor of Science degree in 1956. AnAll-American athlete at WMU, he was signed by theBaltimore Orioles organization following graduation. After a nine-year playing career as aminor leagueoutfielder infarm systems of the Orioles,Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers,Cincinnati Reds andMinnesota Twins, Lajoie became a scout and minor league manager with Cincinnati.
He then joined the Tigers organization in 1969 as a member of thescouting department. By 1979 he was named the assistant general manager to Tigers GMJim Campbell. During his time as GM, Lajoie is credited with several transactions that helped the Tigers to the1984 World Series championship and a1987 division title. Notable transactions include signing aging veteranDarrell Evans in 1984; tradingJohn Smoltz forDoyle Alexander in 1987, andKirk Gibson's departure as a free agent following the 1987 season. While ridiculed by Detroit fans now, the Smoltz trade helped the Tigers make the playoffs in 1987, as Alexander posted 9 wins and 0 losses in 11 starts, with a 1.53earned run average. Smoltz, at the time, was a lightly regarded prospect in the lowminor leagues. After an internal power struggle in 1990 (the Tigers had hiredBo Schembechler as team president), Lajoie resigned was replaced as Tigers GM by his assistant,Joe McDonald.[1]
He then served as a special assistant or consultant to theAtlanta Braves (1991–98),Milwaukee Brewers (2001–02),Boston Red Sox (2003–06),Los Angeles Dodgers (2006–09) andPittsburgh Pirates (2009–10).
Lajoie played a high-profile consulting role in the Boston front office during the brief interregnum between November 2005 and February 2006 caused by the temporary resignation of Red Sox general managerTheo Epstein. He was the senior baseball official, under president/CEOLarry Lucchino, with the Red Sox delegation to the 2005 winter baseball meetings and was instrumental in the multi-player trade with theFlorida Marlins that nettedpitcherJosh Beckett andthird basemanMike Lowell; both were key figures in the club's2007world championship. A few days later, he traded Red Sox starting shortstopÉdgar Rentería to theAtlanta Braves for third baseman prospectAndy Marte.[2] However, upon Epstein's return, Lajoie resigned, and a few weeks later became a top advisor to Dodgers general managerNed Colletti. He joined Pittsburgh in a similar role in June 2009, assisting GMNeal Huntington.[3]
In 1988, Lajoie was honored with a distinguished alumni award from theWestern Michigan University Alumni Association.
As afront office member, Lajoie won World Series Championships with theDetroit Tigers in 1984, theAtlanta Braves in 1995, and theBoston Red Sox in 2004.
He died at age 76 nearSarasota, Florida.[4]
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| Preceded by | Detroit Tigersgeneral manager 1984–1990 | Succeeded by |