According to the Associated Press on Tuesday, former Chicago Cubs General Manager Eldred Saltwell of Sioux City, Iowa passed away at the age of 96 on Sunday. In a statement put out by the Cubs organization, Saltwell did not die of coronavirus.
Saltwell was the general manager of the Cubs during the 1976 Major League Baseball season. The Cubs finished in fourth place in the National League East that year with a record of 75 wins and 87 losses.
During his time as general manager of the Cubs, Saltwell traded two popular Cubs players. They were six-time All-Star shortstop Don Kessinger of Forrest City, Arkansas, and first baseman Andre Thornton of Tuskegee, Alabama. Kessinger went to the St. Louis Cardinals (the Cubs’ biggest rival) and Thornton was traded to the Montreal Expos. At the time, a trade to the Expos was considered by many as an exile to Canada.
In a fascinating story, Saltwell cannot be solely criticized for his questionable trades and his difficulty in signing Cubs players to contracts at the time. That is because in 1976, the Cubs were a little cash strapped because their owner, Bill Wrigley, was going through a divorce.
Nicknamed “Salty,” Saltwell was with the Cubs from 1958 to 1989. Among his roles included assistant secretary and treasurer, traveling secretary, secretary, director of Wrigley Field operations, concession manager, vice president, vice president of business operations, and special assistant to the executive vice president. According to RIP Baseball, one of the frequent complaints Saltwell needed to deal with on a regular basis was from Wrigleyville neighbours, who voiced their displeasure about the fact the organ music at Wrigley Field was too loud.
