Determining how long of a leash Matt Quatraro and J.J. Picollo will have entering 2027

The 2026 season has mainly been one for Kansas City Royals fans to forget. After getting off to a rough start, the team was never able to dig itself out of the hole they had made for themselves. With a 38-59 record in the first half, there weren’t any playoff aspirations left to carry the fanbase through the early summer. Despite the Royals’ strong second-half push, it may be too little, too late.  

Normally, you’d look to put the lion’s share of the blame on the manager. After all, they’re most responsible for putting the players in a position to win on the field. However, Matt Quatraro himself wasn’t exactly put in the best position to lead the team to greatness this season. For that reason, it’s GM J.J. Picollo who should be given a short leash heading into 2027. If the Royals get off to another sluggish start next season, Picollo should be gone by the All-Star break.    

As of August 29, the Royals have strung together an impressive winning stretch, winning 12 of their last 14 games including a nine game win-streak, as they attempt to avoid having the worst record in baseball. Despite playing “meaningless” baseball right now, Quatraro has the team looking better than they have all year. Even with a diminished roster, Quatraro and the Royals have shown glimpses of the team that shocked fans in 2024. It’s exactly why he needs to be given more time to steer the team in the right direction.  

J.J. Picollo has squandered the Royals' solid foundation  

The Royals seemed to have everything going for them following the 2024 season. While the roster wasn’t the most talent-filled group in the league, they just had a certain spark that made them a scary team to face late in the season. Not only did their tenacity help them reach the postseason, but they even defeated the upstart Baltimore Orioles in the AL Wild Card Series.

The Royals also put up a good fight against the New York Yankees in the Divisional round before losing the series 3-1. But it appeared that Kansas City made a clear statement to the league that they were going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. 

Following that exciting 2024 season, it would have been wise to shore up the roster’s weaknesses and load up for another postseason run. With players like Vinnie Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr., and Maikel Garcia, the offense had a strong trio to lead the charge. But with Jonathan India as the team’s big off-season acquisition on the offensive end, it was clear that Picollo and the Royals’ front office did not prioritize the offense at all. And it showed in 2025. 

The Royals scored just 4.02 runs per game last season, good for the fifth lowest mark in the entire league. Despite boasting a stellar pitching staff, there just wasn’t enough offense to go around to win ballgames. The team finished with a disappointing 82-80 record and missed out on the postseason. And much like in the previous off-season, Picollo failed to bolster the roster with any significant offensive additions outside of Lane Thomas and Starling Marte. 

Besides the breakout season from Jac Caglianone, a number of Royals have struggled to consistently produce on offense this year. To make matters worse, the pitching staff has been inundated with injuries in 2026, highlighting the organization's lack of pitching depth at the big league level. Once again, that falls back on Picollo and his inability to build a competitive roster. 

You could argue that since Picollo isn’t working with the biggest payroll, he just doesn’t have the money to spend on flashy free agents. At an estimated $148 million, the Royals’ payroll will never top teams like the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers. But that $148 million is still more than the payrolls of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, two teams at the top of their respective league. 

Obviously different situations, but you can’t help but wonder how the Royals would look right now with a different GM shaping the roster. The Royals’ core of players won’t stay young forever, so the clock is ticking on their window of opportunity to compete. With Picollo standing in the way of an optimized roster, his leash should be shorter than ever in 2027.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow