K.C. Fires Wathan; Cubs Hire Essian : Baseball: Last-place Royals make a change. Chicago makes former catcher youngest manager.

The Kansas City Royals, who lavished more than $33 million on free agents the past two years without rising higher than next to last in the American League West, on Wednesday fired Manager John Wathan.

Coach Bob Schaefer was named interim manager on his 47th birthday. General Manager Herk Robinson said a permanent replacement will be named as early as Friday. Immediate speculation centered on former New York Met Manager Davey Johnson and Hal McRae, a former Royal player who was offered the job in 1987 ahead of Wathan. McRae is the Montreal Expos’ hitting coach.

The Chicago Cubs, meanwhile, went with youth over experience, hiring Jim Essian from the minors a day after firing Manager Don Zimmer.

Essian, 40, became the youngest manager in the majors, taking over a team in a similar situation as Kansas City: loaded with big names and big salaries but a losing record.

“John Wathan probably does not deserve full blame for this,” Robinson said, refusing to discuss possible replacements. “I wish we had a more creative way to fix a situation like this. Had there been, we would have used it.”

Wathan, 41, has spent most of his adult life in the Kansas City organization. He leaves with a 287-270 record that includes a sixth-place finish in the AL West last year and a 15-22 mark this season that has the Royals, who once dominated their division, in last place.

“It came down to the fact that we simply were not winning enough games,” Robinson said. “Whether that was through strategy or motivation or intensity, or whatever, we simply weren’t winning enough games. I don’t know that it’s the manager’s fault, per se. We have 25 players, coaches, a manager, and me in the front office. I think it represents a degree of failure on everybody. But I think it was necessary that some change be made.”

Wathan came under heat this season from fans and media when the injury-weakened Royals got off to another shaky start despite the addition of free-agent pitcher Mike Boddicker and outfielder-designated hitter Kirk Gibson.

Last year, the Royals spent more than $20 million on free-agent pitchers Mark Davis, Storm Davis and Rich Dotson. Reliever Mark Davis, the 1989 Cy Young winner with San Diego, has been especially disappointing. Dogged by injury, he was 2-7 with a 5.11 earned-run average and six saves last season. On the disabled list again this year for several weeks with a broken finger, he is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA and no saves.

In addition, injuries have felled George Brett, the 1990 batting champion, third baseman Kevin Seitzer, former 20-game winner Mark Gubicza, and Bo Jackson, who was released in March because team doctors felt he might not play baseball again because of a degenerative hip condition.

Cub General Manager Jim Frey said Essian was the only candidate seriously considered, and he was hired through the 1992 season.

Essian, a major league catcher for 10 seasons, began managing in the minors in 1985. He was with the Cubs’ triple-A Iowa team when he got the call for his first major league job.