KC Royals: 3 big challenges face new General Manager

New KC Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo will be in just the second month of his new job when the difficult business of baseball’s winter fires up in earnest the day after the World Series ends. That’s when free agency begins, trading can resume, pre-Rule 5 draft 40-man roster planning kicks into high gear, and contract and arbitration concerns become more pressing.

Picollo, named to the GM position Sept. 14, hasn’t revealed what specific alterations he’ll make, but change is a must if his Royals are to contend next season.

That Manager Mike Matheny will return is a given, but his coaching staff is a different matter. Pedro Grifol will again attract attention on the managerial market and Tony Pena Jr. could be a candidate to succeed retiring Brian Poldberg at Triple-A Omaha. Whether other coaches, notably hitting coach Terry Bradshaw and pitching coach Cal Eldred, come back remains to be seen.

But Picollo’s primary focus must be between the lines. What are some of his biggest challenges?

Picollo needs to find a new starting pitcher for the KC Royals’ rotation.

Kansas City’s young starters may be the most potential-packed in the major leagues, but inconsistency and recurring control and command issues impede their, and the team’s, progress. While Carlos Hernandez is, at 6-2 with a 3.68 ERA, the most reliable of the bunch, Brad Keller, Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch, and Jackson Kowar haven’t harnessed the individual and collective consistency necessary for the club to contend.

What the Royals need, and their new GM must procure this winter, is a proven veteran winner to lead and mentor the rotation. The club hoped Mike Minor would check those boxes, but his 8-12, 5.05 record leaves much to be desired.

How might Picollo fulfill this need? A trade is possible, but improbable because any deal for an established winner will require the Royals to give up more than they’ll want to. Free agency, then, is the likely source—the pitching market includes some hurlers whose agents Picollo should sound out.

But wherever he looks, Picollo needs to find someone.

The new GM must find a path to stability for the KC Royals’ outfield.

The February deal that snared Andrew Benintendi was Dayton Moore’s last big trade as Kansas City’s general manager. It’s proving to be one of his best.

Despite a slow start and missing almost a month with a fractured rib this season, Benintendi’s September slash is .348/.381/.562, he’s hitting .379 in his last 15 games, his 16 homers and 67 RBIs are KC’s third-best, and his glove is good. Assuming the Royals reject the trade overtures sure to come their way this winter and keep Benintendi, he’ll start in left next season.

Moore’s decision to sign free agent Michael A. Taylor also turned out well. Taylor’s bat isn’t quite what the Royals want it to be, but his mastery of center put him in the Gold Glove conversation weeks ago. Taylor, though, becomes a free agent when the World Series ends, casting some doubt on who’ll man center in 2022.

And right field remains in unfortunate flux. Seven Royals—Hunter Dozier, Jorge Soler, Jarrod Dyson, Ryan O’Hearn, Edward Olivares, Whit Merrifield, and Kyle Isbel—have played there this season. While Soler and Dyson aren’t with the club anymore and Merrifield is KC’s regular second baseman, no other Royal has staked sole claim to the job.

Stabilizing the outfield must be a priority for Picollo. Bringing Taylor back is certainly defensible, and Kyle Isbel is impressive in his second 2021 chance with the Royals. He’s slashing .346/.414/.692 since KC recalled him from Omaha Sept. 12, and .295/.348/.475 for the season. An everyday outfield of Benintendi, Taylor and Isbel, without a revolving door in right field, could be good.

Taylor and Isbel are good places for Picollo to start. Free agents are an option, of course, but Kansas City might spend more wisely in other areas.