Bill Lajoie
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William R. "Bill" Lajoie (born September 27, 1934) was an American baseball executive, most famous for his role as general manager of the Detroit Tigers from 1984 to 1990. He also served as a special assistant or consultant to the Atlanta Braves (1995-1998), Milwaukee Brewers (2001-2002), and the Boston Red Sox (2003-2004). Lajoie has been out of baseball since the Red Sox World Series victory in 2004.
Lajoie joined the Tigers organization in 1974 as a member of the scouting department. By 1979 he was named the assistant general manager to Tigers GM Jim Campbell. After an internal power struggle in 1990, he was replaced as Tigers GM by his assistant, Joe McDonald. During his time as GM, Lajoie is credited with several transactions that helped the Tigers to the 1984 World Series championship and the ALCS in 1987. Notable transactions include signing aging veteran Darrell Evans in 1984; Kirk Gibson leaving as a free agent; and trading John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander in 1987. 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 1.53 ERA. Smoltz, at the time, was a lightly regarded prospect in the low minor leagues.
Lajoie attended Western Michigan University, earning a bachelor of science degree in 1956. Lajoie was an All American athlete at WMU, and was signed by the Baltimore Orioles organization following graduation, where he spent several seasons in the minor leagues before an injury ended his playing career.
In 1988, Bill Lajoie was honored with a distinguished alumni award from the Western Michigan University Alumni Association.
