Royals show faith in manager Matt Quatraro with three-year extension

Matt Quatraro is the right man to lead the Royals to success, but the Royals need to upgrade their roster to do so 

Playing in the American League Central, the Royals have an opportunity to take down the division leaders. The Detroit Tigers (87-75) and Cleveland Guardians (88-74) are not that far ahead of them talent-wise. With Witt Jr. as the only real “star” on the roster, the Royals rely heavily on scouting and development to field a competitive roster. 

Despite being great at this, with Witt Jr., first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and third baseman Markel Garcia being the best examples, the Royals have failed to capture that same magic they had in 2015 with their core of Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon, which won the World Series. 

The Royals have failed to win with this core, which has produced a middling offense (15th, .247) and one of the better starting staffs (seventh, 3.80 ERA). They need to add talent from outside the organization. Quatraro knows how to keep the clubhouse together, but adding a few free agents or players via trade to complement their core should put them in position to challenge the Tigers and Guardians. 

Operating in a small market with a $151.8 million payroll, Witt Jr. is the highest-paid player on the roster ($26.252 million). The Royals can afford to add one more “high-salary” bat like outfielder Kyle Tucker or a starter like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez to their roster.