The Kansas City Royals have been endlessly searching for a new manager after the firing of Mike Matheny.
Kansas City finished at the bottom of the AL Central with a 65-97 record, prompting Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred‘s dismissals.
On Sunday, the Royals found somebody to fill the role of manager, hiring 48-year-old Matt Quatraro.
Quatraro had been the bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays.
He had also worked in Cleveland.
Quatraro is well-respected among players, coaches, and executives across Major League Baseball and somebody who is considered the ideal voice to help guide the Royals’ young core.
Jeff Passan of ESPN delivered the news on Twitter.
Royals Get Their Man
Having worked under Kevin Cash in Tampa Bay, Quatraro certainly has the experience necessary to lead a Major League team.
He has experience winning and could turn out to be the perfect fit for the Royals.
The Royals have a strong young core that features Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez, Brady Singer, Vinnie Pasquantino, Drew Waters, and others that could help lead the team into its next phase.
The Royals have not finished above the .500 mark since 2015, when they last won the World Series.
That was also the last time that the Royals reached the postseason.
Kansas City never had a winning season under Matheny.
With Quatraro at the helm, they have a chance to potentially flip the script and start anew with a solid and promising young core of players.
And with the ideal manager to guide the young core, Kansas City could be near the end of their rebuild phase.
More must-reads: