The Royals have hired former Cardinals manager Mike Matheny as a special adviser for player development, the club announced Friday.
Matheny had a winning record every year as the Cardinals manager, finishing with a 591-474 mark for a .555 winning percentage.
"This is a great opportunity to have Mike become a member of our organization," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement. "It's always been our policy to hire the best baseball people we can and this is a perfect example of that."
Matheny spent 13 seasons as a catcher, playing for the Brewers, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Giants. He was working in the Cardinals front offense when he was named manager after the 2011 season.
He became the first manager to reach the postseason in each of his first four years as a manager and his 2013 won the National League before falling to the Red Sox in the World Series.
Matheny was fired in July along with two hitting coaches after the Cardinals fell to 47-46.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to join the Royals in this capacity," Matheny said in a statement. "I've long respected the accomplishments of Dayton and his staff while developing a winning culture in Kansas City. This is a great chance for me to contribute in a variety of areas that will include player development and scouting. After being in uniform for the majority of my professional career, this is a unique opportunity that I could not pass up."
On the final day of the regular season, the Royals announced they had signed manager Ned Yost to a one-year extension.
