The Royals announced this afternoon that they’ve signed manager Matt Quatraro to a three-year extension. Quatraro was already under contract through 2026 but now has signed on for the 2027-29 seasons as well. The announcement notes that the deal includes a club option for the 2030 campaign.
Quatraro, 52, took over managing the Royals after the 2022 season, replacing Mike Matheny. Prior to taking his current role with the Royals, Quatraro served as a bench coach and third base coach for the Rays, as well as an assistant hitting coach in Cleveland. Quatraro’s first year at the helm in Kansas City was a disastrous one, as his team lost 106 games. That’s a record that can’t fairly be attributed to Quatraro in full, however, seeing as he inherited a franchise coming off a 97-loss campaign that last finished above .500 in 2015. After an aggressive push towards contention during the 2023-24 offseason, Quatraro managed to lead the Royals back into the playoffs as they posted a respectable 86-76 record.
That was good for second place in the AL Central that year and earned Kansas City a Wild Card spot. They ultimately swept the Orioles out of the playoffs that year before falling to the Yankees in a four-game ALDS. That season earned Quatraro a second place finish in AL Manager of the Year voting, just behind Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. After another busy offseason last year, the Royals were hoping to repeat that performance and return to the playoffs. Things didn’t go quite so well the second time around, as the team finished with an 82-80 record that left them five games back of the final Wild Card spot.
Disappointing as that outcome was, however, extensions for Seth Lugo and Maikel Garcia have suggested that the front office and ownership feel things are still trending in the right direction, and deals to bring in pieces like Isaac Collins and Matt Strahm further indicate that the Royals enter 2026 with postseason aspirations once again. That’s exceptional for a Royals club that had enjoyed just four season above .500 in the 30 years preceding Quatraro’s ascension to the manager’s chair. Given the team’s relative success under Quatraro compared to their recent history (the club’s back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014-15 notwithstanding), it’s hardly a shock that the Royals decided to work out a new deal with their skipper rather than have him enter the 2026 campaign as a lame duck.
With Quatraro now under contract for at least the next four seasons, the Royals will enter what could prove to be a pivotal season for the club with some stability in the dugout. As Kansas City looks to maximize it’s years with superstar and franchise face Bobby Witt Jr. under franchise control, they’ve aggressively added players to the team who figure to come off the books in the coming years. Lugo, Jonathan India, Michael Wacha, Carlos Estevez, Kris Bubic, and Salvador Perez could all reach free agency either this offseason or next. Another disappointing season could leave the team in a difficult spot given ownership’s apparent hesitance to add more to a payroll that’s already at franchise record levels. By contrast, a return to the playoffs could cement this as one of the franchise’s best stretches in recent history.
Don’t mind this at all. Given the struggles in the front office to find a playable outfield, I think the results are about as good as you can hope for
Well, hope this works out for KCR.
By the time the Royals are competitive again to win a Championship, they might be headed to another part of town or a different state.
That’s a ways off. They can probably break right and sneak in the playoffs in 2026
Congrats Mr. Quatraro!
Great….3 more seasons of not knowing how to use the bullpen. 3 more seasons of everyone getting equal playing time and participation ribbon so parents dont yell at Q. Dude is so incompetent he would be sitting George and Bo every couple days.
His staff has kept a meh roster in the playoff discussion into September for a couple seasons – making one. Im not sure who youd want to hire that would have done much better.
Someone with actual baseball knowledge. The man makes Yost look like a baseball guinness. Do you watch royals??? He cost the royals atleast 10 games last year with horrible bullpen management.
Im a former Midwest League scout. I have professional baseball knowledge. And good luck with that. You’d complain regardless. And Ned Yost cost the Royals a division itself one season.
Sure you are buddy. You’d probably be like Q and make sure everyone gets equal at bats each week so a players mom doesn’t yell at you. Q is one of the most if not the most incompetent manager in MLB.
Your comments about Q are off the mark. Way off.
Really?? Do u watch them at all? Maybe go check the royals messages boards….check thier Facebook page and ull aee MORE people who dont like this move for the same reasons I dont then ones that like it.
Yeah man, get get the real facts! Don’t read these articles, they’re full of fake news. You have to go where the truly unhinged and out of touch fans are
Only tres? Thought Quattro would get Cinco. Guess he’ll have to wait til May.
Beautiful! Hermoso!
Seis who?
The only numeric way to evaluate a manager that I know is comparing pythWL to actual record and in this evaluation Quatraro has negative numbers for each of his 3 seasons with KCR. Hope they got a good deal deal financially…
It doesn’t seem like KC fans are too fond of this guy. We’ll see how this goes.
No team is ever fond of their current manager.
Milwaukee absolutely Loves Murph!
Sure they do.
Smart Dodgers fans like Roberts.
I’ve heard Royals fans calling him “too WOKE” whatever that means.
They’d rather have him asleep at the wheel, maybe?
It means those people are stupid.
Personal opinion, he lacks personality, but may have a little more than Matheny did. Compared to them both Yost looks like Tommy Lasorda.
Wow, congrats for the extension. Well deserved. Hoping to hear that this pitching rich franchise rewards the pitching coaches ASAP!
I like Q, glad he got extended.
How’s there no link for Quatraro, but there is for Vogt?
Q is a great manager. Great demeanor, great dude. Thrilled we get to keep him.
So thoughtful and patient with the media.
I don’t know if he would bat Brett for Miller or not.
*its
I think he has don’t a great job and we are fortunate to have him as our Manager. Happy for him.