The Kansas City Royals wasted little time getting a jumpstart on their offseason as they fired manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred on Wednesday night — just hours after wrapping a 65-97 season.
The Royals entered this season with high hopes, but it quickly went off the rails. The team struggled at the plate and on the mound and eventually finished in last place in the AL Central.
Matheny went 165-219 (.430) in three seasons as manager. Eldred joined the coaching staff in 2018 after working in the front office under former general manager Dayton Moore, who also was let go last month as president of baseball operations.
General manager J.J. Picollo, who assumed Moore’s duties as president of baseball operations, will now look to hire his first manager. One possible in-house candidate is bench coach Pedro Grifol.
