Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo is no longer a candidate for the Phillies' open GM position, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
Picollo, a South Jersey native, has spent the last several seasons overseeing scouting and player development for Kansas City, which after years of losing records has surged to the top of the American League on the back of solid drafting and development. The Royals are currently one win away from reaching their second straight World Series.
Picollo's name has been connected to the Phillies' GM vacancy for months. The other name most commonly associated with the job is Los Angeles Angels assistant GM Matt Klentak, who was with Phillies president Andy MacPhail during his Baltimore Orioles days.
CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury reported Friday that the Phillies' GM search could come to a head in the next 72 hours.
A source also confirmed to Salisbury that the list is down to three candidates: Klentak, Oakland Athletics assistant GM Dan Kantrovitz and Tampa Bay Rays VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.