The very moment the Kansas City Royals announced that Mike Matheny wouldn't be returning for the 2023 campaign, speculation began to build regarding who would be the team's next manager. Just before the end of October, the search officially came to a close. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, now-former Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro is the Royals' choice as the man to lead them through their rebuild.
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) on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 5:16 p.m. CST
Quatraro, who has experience as manager and catching instructor in Tampa Bay's minor league ranks, has been one of the hottest names on the Major League Baseball coaching market for the past month or so. Once the end of the 2022 regular season drew near, the general expectation was that the 48-year-old would interview with multiple teams for their openings and possibly end up being hired. That was the case this fall, as Quatraro beat out final candidates such as Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough for Kansas City's job.
Renowned for his forward-thinking mindset and given that he's coming over from an analytics-friendly organization in Tampa Bay, the Royals are banking on Quatraro to be able to thrive as a communicator and leader at various levels of the big-league organization. Within the past 15 years, he's filled roles such as minor league hitting coordinator and assistant hitting coach and third base coach at the MLB level. Quatraro interviewed for a pair of managerial jobs (New York Mets and Oakland Athletics) after last season. Per the Royals, he now becomes the club's 18th full-time manager.
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