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Royals Announce Major Front Office Moves After Breakout Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ben Weinrib | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 1:45 PM ET

The Kansas City Royals are coming off the biggest win improvement in the 2024 MLB season and looking to continue their momentum.

After winning just 56 games in 2023, Kansas City won 86 in '24, a 30-win improvement that was 11 better than any team in baseball and second-best in franchise history.

The Royals are making plans to keep their brain trust intact, as the club announced on Monday that it agreed to an extension through the 2030 season with general manager J.J. Picollo that includes a team option for 2031. Additionally, MLB.com's Anne Rogers reports that Kansas City exercised manager Matt Quatraro's club for 2026 rather than let his contract expire after the 2025 season.

Picollo has been a member of the Royals since 2006, when he joined as the director of player developement, and took over as the team's top decision-maker in September 2022. He has been instrumental in acquiring many of the team's top players and rebuilding the pitching staff.

Despite not expecting to contend in 2023, he brought in lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman in 2023 on a one-year, $3.75 million deal and traded the southpaw at the deadline to Texas for Cole Ragans. Ragans held a 5.32 ERA across 26 outings with the Rangers, but he has blossomed into an All-Star with a 3.00 ERA and 312 strikeouts across 258 innings in the past season and a half.

Free-agent signings of Seth Lugo (who made his first All-Star game in 2024) and Michael Wacha (who continued an early-30s resurgence) have also proven prescient.

Quatraro, who previously served as the Tampa Bay Rays bench coach, has overseen the Royals' rise over the past two seasons. He receives high marks for his analytical thinking and creativity.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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