Report: Kansas City Royals hire Matt Quatraro as next manager
The Kansas City Royals have hired Matt Quatraro as their next manager, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Quatraro will replace Mike Matheny, who was fired this month after his third season with the franchise.
The Kansas City Royals are hiring Matt Quatraro as their new manager, sources tell ESPN. Quatraro, 48, has been the Rays' bench coach and also worked in Cleveland. He's adored among players, coaches and execs, and is regarded as the ideal type to shepherd the Royals' young core.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 30, 2022
Kansas City will mark Quatraro’s first stop as a manager in Major League Baseball. He spent the past four seasons as the bench coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, and spent time with the Cleveland Guardians as an assistant hitting coach. The 48-year-old was drafted by the Rays in 1996.
The Royals finished this past season 65-97 for their sixth straight losing year. They haven’t been back to the playoffs since they won the World Series in 2015.
The Royals also fired president of baseball operations Dayton Moore and pitching coach Cal Eldred.
Quatraro will now be tasked with leading the organization through a reboot, though he has plenty of young talent available, including shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., catcher MJ Melendez, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and pitcher Brady Singer.
"The bottom line here is it's time for change," team owner John Sherman said last month, via ESPN. "There is a gap right now between where we are and where we expected to be ... I felt like in 2021 we did make progress, and in 2022, that's not how I feel.
"There have been some bright spots — I love seeing the young players — but in 2022, we are not where we expected to be."
