Ex-Cardinal Mike Matheny Is the Betting Favorite to Be the Royals’ Next Manager

• Mike Matheny has the shortest odds to become the Royals next manager, followed by Raul Ibanez
• Matheny has been working in KC’s organization as a special advisor in player development
• Is he a good bet at his price, or does someone else present better value?

Mike Matheny has plenty of experience managing in the state of Missouri and could find himself in charge of a young Kansas City Royals team next season.

The former St. Louis Cardinals manager is the front-runner to be the next Royals manager, ahead of former fan favorite Raul Ibanez.

Odds to be Kansas City Royals Next Manager

Odds taken on 10/01/19.

Matheny has been working as a special advisor in player development for KC for nearly a year, after being fired from the Cardinals last July. His familiarity with the organization and his proven track record make him a quality candidate, but is he really a deserving favorite?

The Argument for Hiring Matheny

During his six-plus seasons as Cardinals manager, Matheny won a lot of baseball games. His teams never finished below .500, even in the year he was fired, and he led the Cards to three division titles and the 2013 pennant.

Mike Matheny, special advisor to #Royals in player development, is viewed as a strong candidate to manage in Kansas City next year, following Ned Yost’s retirement today — although the ownership change introduces some uncertainty to process. @MLB @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 23, 2019

He ended his tenure in St. Louis with a .550 winning percentage (31st all-time) and was runner-up for NL Manager of the Year in 2015, after a 100-win season.

Current and former Cardinal greats like Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols credit Matheny for a large portion of their success, but not all of his former players feel so strongly.

The Case Against Matheny

Many of his strongest critics will argue that St. Louis succeeded in spite of him, rather than because of him. He inherited a very good Cardinals team that had just won the World Series, and this Royals squad is in the middle of a complete rebuild.

And now, we hold our breath and hope that the next manager of the Kansas City Royals is not named Mike Matheny.

— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) September 23, 2019

Various reports suggest that Matheny ignored players he didn’t like and placed too much trust in veterans, which stunted the growth of younger players. He never embraced analytics, choosing out-dated philosophies that were proven to be ineffective, and was easily manipulated by star players.

Mike Matheny is what you get when you take Ned Yost and surgically remove his best qualities.

— Joe Sheehan (@joe_sheehan) September 23, 2019

Kansas City’s roster doesn’t feature any MVP or Cy Young candidates and isn’t expected to contend any time soon. With numerous jobs opening up around the league, it will be interesting to see if Matheny chooses a team stuck in rebuild mode, or if he elects to pursue a squad with a clearer path to success.

Matheny is Most Likely KC’s Man

Although there’s plenty of reason to go in a different direction, too many people who cover the Royals on a daily basis believe Matheny’s hiring is imminent.

Per source, the Royals have not committed to Mike Matheny as the next manager, as of yet.

— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) September 23, 2019

If you’d prefer to chase a bigger payday, consider Tony Pena Jr at +900 . The son of a former KC bench boss, he’s been managing in the Royals farm system and was elevated to the big league staff in early September to gain some valuable MLB coaching experience.