Should Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo Be On The Hot Seat?

J.J. Picollo has been the Royals’ general manager since September 2021 and the president of baseball operations since September 2022. In that time, the Royals have managed to clinch their first playoff berth since winning the 2015 World Series and followed that performance with another winning season in 2025. However, 2026 has not panned out as expected, where the Royals have dug themselves a hole that will be tough to dig out of after the first two months of the season. 

Picollo deserves credit for bringing the Royals back to the playoffs in 2024 and building a strong rotation. However, he has failed to build a lineup that is a consistent threat in creating runs and doing damage against opposing pitchers, which has raised legitimate concerns about whether he is capable of building a sustainable contender.

A poll here at Royals Keep shows that readers and fans are approving less of Picollo and the front office as the season has gone on. Is it time to make a change, or are the fans overreacting to the slow start?

Initial approval was high to start the season, with approval peaking at just over 73% on April 6 & 7. On April 6, the Royals were 4-4. As the Royals entered their first rough stretch of the season, approval started to drop, and it hasn’t gone above 50% since April 18. After a few weeks of hovering around 50%, approval dropped again during the Royals' second rough stretch in May. As of May 27, the cumulative approval rating for the season sits at just 37%.

The rapid decline in approval suggests fan frustration extends beyond a simple losing streak. Expectations for this roster were significantly higher entering 2026. According to the “MLB Hope-O-Meter” reported by Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic on March 30, 94.5% of Royals fans were optimistic for the 2026 season, the fifth-highest mark across all 30 fan bases. 

The Case for Picollo

As mentioned, Picollo has already shown that he can build a team in Kansas City that can challenge for playoff spots. The winning seasons of the past two years are examples of that.

There have been some impactful signings, particularly in the rotation and back end of the bullpen.

Wacha, Ragans, and Lugo (when healthy) can be one of the best tops of the rotation in baseball. Combined with the additions of Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert and the resurgence of Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron, this rotation had the potential to be exceptionally deep and strong from top to bottom.

When looking at total bWAR accumulated by player acquisitions since Picollo became president of operations, additions to the rotation have carried the productivity, while the offensive additions have lagged behind.

Last season’s addition of Carlos Estevez (more on him later) gave the Royals a strong back of the bullpen combination with Erceg. These are solid building blocks for any Major-League pitching staff.

Another aspect that Picollo has excelled in is locking down the team’s homegrown talent and rewarding strong performers with contract extensions. He has ensured that the left side of the infield is patrolled by Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia for the foreseeable future, while Salvador Perez and Lugo have also been awarded extensions for their performance and leadership. However, Perez’s extension has not gotten off to a great start in 2026.

The Case Against Picollo

Many acquisitions to strengthen the lineup and middle relief have fallen flat. Below are the worst performers according to Baseball Reference.

These further struggles have been highlighted by the fact that the acquisitions leading up to 2026 have only accumulated 0.2 bWAR this season. That figure looks even worse when the standout acquisition, third catcher Elias Diaz with 0.5 bWAR, was designated for assignment on May 22.

The Royals entered 2026 expecting to contend, but their offseason additions have produced little impact through the season’s first two months.

While the team’s prospects like Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen have taken the next step in becoming consistent contributors at the major-league level, their progress has been offset by the struggles of newcomers Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas, and Starling Marte, none of whom have performed above replacement-level this season. 

While Picollo was accurate in diagnosing the needs for the offense, the moves are currently not paying off. When you add in the poor starts from veterans like Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, the lineup construction looks to be a disaster.

Picollo’s acquisitions have been focused on improving the margins of the roster rather than targeting an impact bat to be the focal point of the lineup. This could be due to betting on the players like Caglianone or Jensen becoming that player, or the constraints from a small-market ownership group. Either way, it hasn’t worked in 2026.

Complicating Factors

Each season comes with roadblocks and challenges, and the Royals have faced a series of complications that have compounded.

What started as a deep rotation with eight different starters with Major League experience has turned into a bit of a liability. Bergert has been shut down for the season to undergo Tommy John surgery. Falter spent time on the injured list and was designated for assignment on May 27 after five appearances in 2026. Ragans and Kris Bubic are currently on the injured list as well. The Royals are left with only four healthy starters, to the point where they have to consider bullpen games.

There were many rumors that the depth in rotation was available to be able to trade for a boost to the lineup. While in hindsight, not trading away a starter looks to be the correct move, it was still a missed opportunity to improve their lineup by taking advantage of this surplus. 

Bullpen instability has been an issue this season. The health and velocity concerns of Estevez have rippled throughout the bullpen. It has forced Erceg, who has also regressed this season, into the closer role and left the Royals with no clear setup man. None of the offseason additions have been able to cement their role in this bullpen, and the team is exiting May with more questions than answers. 

The Royals are entering a pivotal point of the season. If they are unable to turn the season around, they will need to start looking at options to trade away players to increase their chances in 2027 and beyond. Ownership should be looking at these transactions closely to see if Picollo is the right man to take on the challenge of bringing the Royals back to winning baseball.