Last week the Royals hired former Cardinals manager Mike Matheny to be a special advisor, to serve in “several aspects of the baseball operations department, including scouting and player development.” Royals beat writer Jeffrey Flanagan warns fans not to jump to conclusions, but with Ned Yost on a one-year contract, it is reasonable for many to expect Matheny to be the manager-in-waiting, as Yost was when he was hired as a special advisor to the Royals in 2010.
Mike Matheny served as Cardinals manager for six and a half seasons, winning 55.6% of his games. His teams won 90+ games three times, including a 100-win season in 2015, and he won a pennant in his second season in 2013, losing to the Red Sox in the World Series in six games.