It seems like Cincinnati Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty will be back for the 2015 season. The news comes as a slap in the face to everyone who has purchased a ticket this season. His contract ends after this year, and it was widely speculated–much to the delight of Reds fans–that he would head to the Arizona Diamondbacks to help his buddy Tony LaRussa in some capacity of baseball operations. Jocketty was fired from St. Louis. This Reds season has shown why; not only was his pre-season inactivity frustrating, but his vacuous approach to the 2014 MLB trade deadline doomed the teams chance at a playoff berth.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sport and the MLB Network reports, “Forget about the possibility of a Tony LaRussa-Walt Jocketty reunion in Arizona. Jocketty, completing the final year of his contract with the Reds, is expected to remain the team’s general manager, according to major-league sources.” He goes on to say, “LaRussa, the Diamondbacks’ new chief baseball officer, could replace GM Kevin Towers and/or manager Kirk Gibson at the end of the season. However, there never has been indication that Jocketty wants to leave Cincinnati, or that owner Bob Castellini wants him out.”

In his tenure as Reds’ owner, Castellini has shown way too much loyalty to his staff. It took until 2013 to finally fire Dusty Baker. By the time he was canned, the number of people who wanted him to stay could be counted on one hand–his family and Brandon Phillips. That was a Jocketty decision, but there is no chance he’d have been sacked had Castellini wanted him at the helm in 2014. Castellini is a nice guy and that’s fine. But you just cannot be a people-pleaser and effectively run a winning baseball team.

Jocketty has not signed a contract as of yet. If true, Reds fans will greet the news with a laughing fest.

Illya Harrell is a Cincinnati Reds writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Illya_Harrell, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.