The Kansas City Royals have fired manager Mike Matheny, the team announced Wednesday night. Pitching coach Cal Eldred was also dismissed as part of the announcement. The Royals had only recently fired longtime executive Dayton Moore, ending his 16-year stint with the franchise and signaling the start of a new era. Another front-office mainstay, J.J. Piccolo, has since been elevated to the top job.
Matheny, 52, had just completed his third season in charge with the Royals. He had amassed a 165-219 record (.430 winning percentage) during that time, with his worst season coming this year. Prior to joining the Royals, Matheny had served as manager with the St. Louis Cardinals for parts of seven seasons. He was much more successful there, winning 55.5 percent of his games as well as a pennant.
CBS Sports covered what may come next for the Royals franchise following Moore’s dismissal, writing the following about their outlook:
If you’re Picollo (or Mystery Executive X), you probably want to focus on the positives. That means highlighting how Witt, Melendez, and Pasquantino feel like potential cornerstones; how Salvador Perez has overcome a rough May; and how Singer has demonstrated that the Royals are not, in fact, incapable of developing an arm. Now, if they could just repeat that process four more times, they might have something here.
Matheny is the latest in a line of managers who will be replaced ahead of next season. Most recently, the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox announced that Don Mattingly and Tony La Russa would not be returning in 2023. The Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels also seem likely to be in the market. The Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, must decide if the interim skippers who led them to the postseason deserve the full-time job.
You can keep tabs on all the managerial situations across the league by following CBS Sports’ tracker.