President’s Day was the Kansas City Royals’ first team workout. However, before workouts took place in the Surpris complex, the Royals announced a significant move in their front office in a press conference by extending general manager JJ Picollo.
In this press conference, owner John Sherman emphasized the great work Picollo has done since taking over the GM position after the 2022 season and pointed out that Picollo’s leadership will be key to the club’s future outlook. Sherman also mentioned the exercise of manager Matt Quatraro‘s club option in the morning press conference.
The extension is not necessarily a surprise, especially considering that Picollo helped organize a turnaround that saw the Royals not just win 86 games in 2024 (a 30-win turnaround from 2023) but also make the postseason for the first time since 2015 when they won the World Series. That said, while the extension was expected after the Royals’ magical 2024 campaign, it is a relief for fans who may have been worried that Picollo would be the target of other organizations next offseason, especially if Kansas City has another solid season in 2025.
Sherman is investing and going all-in on Picollo being the Royals GM for a good while, and it also seems like Quatraro may be joining him (though he didn’t receive quite the extension that Picollo got). Hence, what can Royals fans take away from Picollo’s tenure as Royals’ head honcho so far, and what can we expect about the leadership of this organization going forward, not just this season but beyond?
Let’s dive into those questions regarding Picollo and Quatraro and the future of the Kansas City Royals.
Picollo Proving That He’s Not Dayton Moore 2.0
There’s no question that the Royals needed to move on from Moore after the 2022 season.
Moore did provide some incredible highs for Royals fans after decades of gross incompetence in the 90s (post-strike) and 2000s, when Kansas City was unquestionably the worst-run organization in baseball. Under his leadership, the Royals won two pennants and a World Series title in 2015. He did this despite playing in one of the smallest markets in baseball and with an organization that ranks near the bottom in franchise value (via Forbes).
At the same time, the Royals only had three winning seasons under Moore (2013, 2014, and 2015) and were only really competitive for five seasons (2013-2017). Even though the Royals had achieved highs that other small-market clubs could only dream of (the Brewers, Reds, and Rays haven’t won any recent World Series titles), the club failed to stay competitive overall during Moore’s tenure, which spanned back to 2006.
The Royals organization needed change. However, many Royals fans felt that Picollo, Moore’s lieutenant for most of Moore’s tenure as GM, was not enough of a move. Some thought that the Royals needed to completely rid themselves of the Moore era and not hire someone who had the potential to be a “Dayton Moore 2.0.”
As a user said in a post on the Royals subreddit yesterday regarding Picollo’s signing, Picollo has proved that he’s not a Moore clone but a legitimately good MLB general manager.
Picollo has revamped a Royals organization that was seemingly behind the competition regarding data and analytics, especially in terms of player development.
He’s added more positions in research and development and helped add more resources at the Minor League level to help coaches and players utilize data for their growth. At the time of Moore’s dismissal, the farm system was considered one of the worst in baseball. Though he still has some work to do, the Royals system looks much more promising than in 2022, especially with prospects like Jac Caglianone, Blake Mitchell, and Carter Jensen.
That said, the Royals have made strides not just at the Minor League level under Picollo. One of his strengths as a general manager has been his ability to assemble teams over the past three seasons and be proactive with deals with free agents and extensions.
Under Moore, the Royals seemed too patient with homegrown players to develop, or he opted for players who shared “traditionally desired” player characteristics but didn’t fit in the modern game. Picollo has still found players who fit in the chemistry of this budding organization. However, he hasn’t committed long-term to veterans whose value will eventually fade, and he’s opted to be aggressive in signing players who may be a bit unproven but will adapt to the culture and development style of the Royals coaching staff.
Starting pitching is an area of success under Picollo that Moore struggled to find in his tenure.
Picollo first acquired an ace in Cole Ragans from the Texas Rangers for half a season of Aroldis Chapman (a deal that blows away any move Moore made in his tenure). Second, he aggressively gave Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha secure deals with player options last offseason. As a result, the Royals’ starting rotation was one of the best in baseball, ranking second in fWAR (16.7), behind only the Atlanta Braves (17.4).
Picollo has continued to develop and acquire depth in the rotation and bullpen, which should make the Royals’ pitching staff solid not just for 2025 but beyond.
Michael Lorenzen is back on a one-year deal, which should soften the blow of Brady Singer being a Red. Wacha returned to Kansas City on a team-friendly extension and showed his investment in the Royals’ long-term outlook. Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh, and Daniel Lynch IV have rotation and bullpen flexibility. Speaking of the bullpen, after Picollo struggled to mold the group in his first two years, he has made it a strength of their squad since the 2024 Trade Deadline, made even stronger with the acquisition of Carlos Estevez this offseason.
Picollo has focused on making Kansas City an organization where pitching and development are strengths. That was never the case in the Moore era, except for the sensational bullpen during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. As demonstrated in Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland, pitching has been the key to sustained small-market success. It seems like the same is ringing true in Kansas City under Picollo.
Conversely, Picollo hasn’t ignored the club’s hitting aspect.
He shunned moves involving Salvador Perez, and Salvy made good on that trust with another All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger in 2024. Instead of trading Vinnie Pasquantino to Miami for Jesus Luzardo, he kept Vinnie, and the first baseman has been a force in the three-hole for the Royals (when healthy). He has also successfully convinced players to move around positions defensively for the benefit of the club, as evidenced by Jonathan India and Michael Massey, who are getting work in the outfield this spring.
If one doesn’t think that’s a big deal, look at how things are faring in Boston with Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman.
Lastly, Picollo convinced budding superstar Bobby Witt Jr. to sign a long-term extension last offseason. Part of that is timing, for Picollo took a risk that Witt would continue to develop after promising the 2022 and 2023 seasons. That said, it is also a credit to the culture of trust that Picollo has developed as GM in Kansas City and his ability to communicate with players and coaches throughout the organization.
Not every young star is willing to agree to an extension so early in their career, and the Toronto Blue Jays are learning the hard way of waiting too long to negotiate a long-term extension with their franchise player, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
It’s only been three seasons for Picollo as Royals GM. There still is plenty of time to build on this promising start or do a 180, much to the detriment of the organization and fanbase.
However, so far, Picollo has proven to be the GM that Royals fans have clamored for during the waning days of the Moore era in 2021 and 2022. He’s a GM who can balance long-term development with being competitive at the MLB level in the short term. That isn’t easy to do, as organizations like the Marlins, Pirates, and Reds can attest.
Thankfully, that GM was in the organization the entire time.
When Will Quatraro’s Extension Come?
The Royals announced that Quatraro’s club option was exercised, guaranteeing him at least another season in 2026.
There’s no doubt that Q earned that extra guaranteed season in Kansas City, especially after turning around the club from his first season in 2023, when they lost 106 games. Even though there were some rumblings among pessimistic Royals fans last offseason about whether Quatraro was the right man for the job, he proved those naysayers wrong in 2024.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if an extension could be looming for Quatraro. Understandably, the Royals may be slightly conservative with their manager right now. After all, Tony Pena had a winning season, too, in 2003. However, if Quatraro can put together another winning season and playoff appearance in 2025, he could be due for a long-term extension next year.
After all, Quatraro has done more record-wise than A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, who was recently given an extension to stay as manager of the organization, which is playing its first season out of Oakland.
Quatraro was a hot commodity when he was the Rays’ bench coach, as the Marlins were rumored to be considering him for their managerial spot (which eventually went to Skip Schumacher). If Quatraro coaxes another winning season with this small-market Royals club, then it’s likely that other richer clubs will come calling.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Boston, St. Louis, or even the Yankees call Quatraro about their potential openings, especially if those three clubs fail to meet expectations in 2025. Not only would those jobs make sense for Quatraro due to his familiarity with the organizations, but they would also be able to offer significant pay raises.
Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Royals offered Quatraro an extension before the 2025 season is over, even if the Royals are still in the playoff hunt. It’s evident that Picollo and Quatraro work well together, and considering Quatraro was Picollo’s managerial hire, it is likely that the Royals GM will do everything in his power to ensure that Quatraro doesn’t get poached by a bigger ballclub.
Quatraro is here for now, which is good for the Royals in 2025.
Nonetheless, what the Royals do with him a year from now, especially if he continues to lead a winning ballclub, could be fascinating to watch, especially since the Royals have desired to be competitive in the American League and Central division for years.
It would be a shame if something like money came in the way of that process.
Photo Credit: Ed Zurga/Getty Images
Looks like Fermín is getting traded. The Maile signing means that Fermin is too big a bath to sit on the bench. There’s two almost ready catchers in the minors,
I don’t think it will happen right away. But yeah, getting someone like Maile is really interesting and could make Fermin a lot more expendable