The Kansas City Royals continued housekeeping items on Monday in a huge way. The front office signed lefty starter Cole Ragans to a new contract earlier in the week. The deal didn’t add any controllable years, but instead just gave Ragans a well-deserved raise for 2025 and his first two arbitration years. Monday, the team turned their sights to the leadership team. Reports indicate that the Royals have extended the contract of General Manager J.J. Picollo. The extension runs through the 2030 season and also includes a club option for the 2031 season. Kansas City also exercised the 2026 club option for Manager Matt Quatraro.

Under Picollo’s leadership, the Royals have transformed masterfully

For Picollo especially, it gives long-term security and also instills confidence in the job he’s done since taking over the helm as the team’s top shot-caller in 2022. All of his moves haven’t panned out, but no one’s do. Picollo has successfully transformed the Royals from an organization struggling to rebuild to one fresh off a postseason berth. Under Picollo’s management, the front office has spent well in free agency and it’s paid off. The signings of Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha propelled the team to October in 2024. Picollo’s blueprint started even earlier in 2023 when the team acquired ace Cole Ragans for rental reliever Aroldis Chapman.

Beyond the team’s roster, under Picollo’s leadership, the Royals have seen impressive strides forward in scouting and development. Hitting development has been on the upswing since 2021 under Alec Zumwalt and Drew Saylor. Zumwalt was named the team’s hitting coach in May 2022 and Saylor currently serves as Director of Hitting Performance. Those improvements have continued, headlined by Bobby Witt Jr.’s ascension to Superstar and the offense’s top 10 showing last season before the Vinnie Pasquantino injury.

On the mound, Picollo’s tenure has seen the Royals take long overdue strides forward. Senior Director of Pitching Performance, Paul Gibson, has overseen a renaissance in pitching. It started in 2020 when he was named Director of Pitching Performance. He was promoted to Senior Director in 2022 and alongside names like Brian Sweeney, Justin Friedman, and others, has seen results take fantastic strides forward. Fixing Aroldis Chapman’s fastball was one piece, but the Royals have successfully helped Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, and others flourish under new leadership. That level of pitching development and performance is something the Royals haven’t accomplished since the 1980s.

In all, it’s a shining endorsement of the job that Picollo has done since taking the reigns from long-time executive Dayton Moore following his departure. From player development to player acquisitions and roster building, Picollo has cast a wide net in his improvements for the Kansas City Royals. 2024 was the first taste of success stemming from those developments with many more on the way.

Quatraro retained for an additional season after a strong 2024 season

Manager Matt Quatraro endured a difficult “rookie” season as Manager. The 2023 Royals lost 106 games and many were calling for Quatraro’s dismissal already. Luckily, those calling for dismissal aren’t the ones calling the shots. Quatraro was masterful in his management of the Royals’ roster in 2024. Behind an infusion of veteran pitching talent alongside a young lineup, Quatraro steered his ship to 86 wins and the team’s first playoff berth in nearly a decade. Even amid a strong turnaround, many fans of the team took issue with Quatraro’s calm demeanor. Some called his lineup and playtime decisions distasteful or confusing. In the end, they worked. The Royals didn’t just play in October — they won the Wild Card series in Baltimore before falling to the Yankees in the ALDS.

Quatraro went from managing the worst Royals’ roster in franchise history to contention in just one season. Now, the Kansas City front office has rewarded Quatraro by accepting the 2026 club option on his contract. He’ll be in town at least for another two full seasons, but a strong 2025 season could be the start of extension discussions between the Royals and Quatraro.