Billy Butler by Keith Allison is licensed under CC by 2.0
The Oakland Athletics and Billy Butler have agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal. Butler spent is first eight major league season with the Kansas City Royals. He hit .271 last year with nine homers and 66 RBIs.
The Royals knocked the A’s out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Game. The A’s struggled offensively late in the season, after trading Yoenis Cespedes for Jon Lester. I think that’s what cost the A’s their division title and the lose in the Wild Card Game.
Billy Butler is definitely a great get for the A’s and I can’t believe the price Billy Beane got for him. Butler has hit over .300 three times in his career, with the most recent being in 2012. Butler will be 29 early next season and he’s entering his prime, so Oakland should get some of his best seasons.
Butler doesn’t miss many games and has played more than 151 games in each of the past six seasons. He was never on the DL during that time period and played all 162 games in 2013.
Robert Murray was the first to report the signing.
Source: #Athletics agree to three-year, $30 million deal with Billy Butler. Story: http://t.co/3Q0Eoe9pnt
— Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayMLB) November 19, 2014
I’m surprised that Butler and the Royals didn’t work anything out, especially after the season they had. Kansas City is now in search for a DH and I wonder if they will contact the Braves about Evan Gattis?
