Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Albert Pujols, one of baseball's all-time greats is emerging as a serious candidate for the Royals manager role.
- The struggling franchise faces mounting pressure to change its leadership approach with young stars stalled in development.
- The decision could be especially painful for Cardinals fans who have been begging their franchise to hire Pujols for years.
Future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols truly mastered the art of bookending. Pujols began his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, and he fittingly returned for one final stint in 2022. As one of the greatest players in Cardinals history, he joins the likes of Stan Musial, Patrick Mahomes, and George Brett among Missouri sports royalty.Â
It should be fitting, then, that Pujols makes perfect sense to officially start his managerial career with the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals must strongly consider hiring Albert Pujols to replace Matt Quatraro
Although the Royals extended Quatraro earlier this year, this latest stretch should be enough to seal his fate.
Kansas City is 22–33 and already nine games back in the AL Central. Even with three Wild Card spots, it’s hard to see the Royals rebounding to fight for a playoff berth. Something just feels off while watching the Royals, like they’re distracted and moving in molasses.Â
Just ask Alex Cora how that went during his final weeks with the Red Sox.
Quatraro doesn’t feel long for Kansas City, especially if the Royals intend to prevent Bobby Witt Jr. from following in Mike Trout’s footsteps. Pujols has managerial experience, thriving in both the World Baseball Classic and the Dominican Professional Baseball League. Teams are clearly interested in how Pujols could fare as an MLB manager.Â
Pujols interviewed with the Angels and Padres last winter, and he’s widely considered a trendy name for this next managerial carousel.
Albert Pujols makes perfect sense for Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals
At some point within the coming months, the Royals need to objectively ask themselves what isn’t working. Outside of Witt, third baseman Maikel Garcia is the only position player worth at least 1.0 bWAR through May 26. The Royals’ pitching staff has been mediocre at best, and ace Michael Wacha is a 36-year-old trade candidate.
Blaming analytics would be understandable, given that the Royals hired Quatraro away from the Rays. The problem, though, is that such an excuse is outright lazy.
Young players aren’t developing, and Witt — who has an MLB-high 3.5 bWAR — can only do so much. Times like this are exactly when you need a former player who has seen and done it all to come in and try something different.
The Witt–Trout comparison is apt because Pujols saw firsthand what didn’t work for the Angels. Pujols obviously never played for the Royals, so this wouldn’t be a true homecoming. However, he knows what it takes to build a winning franchise in a Midwestern market.
And, as we’re seeing with the Nationals and Padres, going outside the box when hiring a manager isn’t guaranteed to fail. If the Royals do part ways with Quatraro, the last thing they should do is look for a retread like Joe Girardi or Bob Melvin.
Assuming that there is a 2027 season amid the ongoing labor issues, it’ll be Pujols’ time to shine once again.
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