What we learned about the Royals at MLB Winter Meetings: Recapping The Star’s coverage
For the first time in 16 years, the Kansas City Royals baseball operations contingent rolled into the MLB Winter Meetings under the guidance of someone other than Dayton Moore.
Instead, executive vice president and general manager J.J. Picollo led the proceedings.
While the Royals didn’t make a significant transaction involving their major-league roster, Picollo and new manager Matt Quatraro provided insight into potential roster additions this winter, their approach to forming a coaching staff, how they’ll go about producing marked improvement with the existing players and how they hope to deploy returning players to get the most out of them — individually and collectively.
The week’s events also included the Royals’ draft position sliding in the first-ever MLB Draft Lottery.
While there’s a more clear picture of how and why the Royals have revamped their coaching and player development staff, the rest of the Royals’ offseason will largely be characterized by whether or not they’re able to re-sign veteran pitcher Zack Greinke and if they can add established players to their youthful and inexperienced pitching staff and lineup.
Here’s a look at The Star’s coverage from San Diego...
Don’t expect a lot of roster turnover ... yet
Kansas City Royals executive vice president and general manager J.J. Picollo is “very interested” in improving the Royals’ roster via trade, but the Royals have struggled to find a partner that meets their needs thus far. If that remains, Picollo wouldn’t be afraid to bet on internal improvement — despite some in the Royals fandom hoping to see some change, either via trade or free agency.
Why KC Royals GM J.J. Picollo thinks ‘fairly quiet’ offseason could pay dividends
Have Royals hired right coaches to unlock young roster?
If the Royals are banking on internal improvement, then that starts with the new-look coaching staff. Manager Matt Quatraro has filled out two key positions with pitching coach Brian Sweeney — he’s had success in the AL Central — and bench coach Paul Hoover — who Quatraro overlapped with in Tampa Bay. Here’s why Quatraro believes this group can thrive where recent Royals staffs haven’t.
The Royals are betting on internal improvement. Matt Quatraro believes he has the staff for it
KC survives Rule 5 Draft ... and actually adds intriguing talent
So let’s talk specifics. The KC Royals left one notable player, a left-handed pitcher, unprotected heading into the Rule 5 Draft, but they weren’t burned. In fact, they may have actually come out ahead after the Triple A portion of the event concluded. Here’s what happened.
KC Royals escape Rule 5 Draft unscathed ... and add intriguing minor-league prospect
What comes next for Adalberto Mondesi?
Adalberto Mondesi has certainly been one of the biggest talking points of the offseason. Once viewed as a potential franchise cornerstone, Mondesi has dealt with injuries that have hindered his play — and the Royals have another young talent standing in the way at his position. Here’s how the Royals view Mondesi heading into the 2023 season ... and what could come next.
Why ’23 could be a swan-song season for Adalberto Mondesi
A dual-purpose role for a budding Royals talent?
Speaking of roles for the future — how about the plans for MJ Melendez? The up-and-comer proved his worth to the Royals last year while learning to play in the outfield on the fly, but the Royals may not be done with him at catcher just yet. The Star took a closer look at how the Royals view the young standout moving forward.
Kansas City Royals GM J.J. Picollo: We’re not giving up on MJ Melendez playing catcher
A familiar face — Pedro Grifol — says goodbye
The Royals made the decision to move forward with a new face — and voice — when they turned to Matt Quatraro at the manager spot. Pedro Grifol, who spent a decade with the Royals, could have been a candidate for the position but instead will get his chance to manage the White Sox. What did he have to say about departing KC?
Pedro Grifol: Saying goodbye to Royals was emotional, but ‘it’s time to move on’
Odds and ends from MLB Winter Meetings
The Star had additional coverage from this year’s Winter Meetings, covering both the current state of the organization and future of the Royals. Those stories include:
- How the AL Central shook out in the MLB Draft Lottery (and how the Royals reacted to some bad news)
- The KC Royals will have a heavy presence at the World Baseball Classic (and the experience could be especially valuable for a couple young stars)
- KC’s biggest free-agent splash could come with a familiar face (and it’s no surprise after a solid year from Zack Greinke)
- How the Royals plan to round out the new coaching staff (and who might be sticking around)
