Matt Quatraro becomes the New Royals Manager, Leaves Void at Bench Coach Spot

Matt Quatraro, the now-former bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays, officially signed on as the manager for the Kansas City Royals, starting in 2023.

Quatraro, who will become the 18th all-time manager for the Royals, had been with the Rays organization as coach from 2010 through 2013 as a minor league hitting coordinator and would rejoin the club after a stint with Cleveland from 2018 until this coming 2022 season, serving as the team's 3rd base coach in 2018 before his most recent position.

With the move, Quatraro now leaves a vacant position open at the bench coach spot in the coaching staff, putting into question who will become the next bench coach for the Rays.

There will be many candidates available from inside and outside the organization; one that catches my eye if the team decides to bring him back is Charlie Montoyo, who was fired from the Blue Jays here in 2022 and also served as a part of this Rays coaching staff and was even the bench coach, who was replaced by Quatraro.

Beyond that, Quatraro will have a hefty task ahead of him as he attempts to bring the Royals back to the postseason for the first time since 2015, their World Series-winning season.

The Royals do have some bright spots on their rosters similar to the Rays, featuring top young talents such as Brady Singer, a former Florida Gator, and Bobby Witt Jr., one of the top prospects coming into the 2022 season this year, as Quatraro and the Royals try to make a special run next year with a rebuilding roster in 2023.

Quatraro definitely will be missed by the Rays faithful, but fans will get the chance to see him and our other 3 former Rays coaches turned managers (Derek Shelton, PIT; Rocco Baldelli, MIN; and Dave Martinez, WAS) this upcoming season, as the schedule now allows the Rays to play all 29 other MLB teams in 2023.