A is consistent with the correct fielder Lawrence Butler ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that in the seven-year, 65.5mm delay. There is a club choice in the eighth season. The contract purchased at least two free agent seasons, and the option covers a third possible free agent year. The team has not announced the signing, and the signature is underway on the body. Butler is represented by CAA Sports.
Butler, who won a sixth-round draft pick in high school in 2018, struggled in his first few minor league seasons. In 2021, he clicked him in LOW-A and he continued to go up the ladder. The left-handed batsman arrived in professional in 2023 and reached .211 in his first 42 games. When he started another relatively slow start last year, the monster showed his potential in the second half.
Butler clamped on the .300/.345/.553 clip after the All-Star game. Among qualified batsmen, he ranks tenth in WRC+. The nine more productive hitters in the second half were the stars: Judge Aaron,,,,, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,,,,, Bobby Witt Jr.,,,,, Yordan Alvarez,,,,, Juan Soto,,,,, Shohei Ohtani,,,,, Francisco Lindor,,,,, Jackson Merrill LynnWith teammates Brent Rooker.
This is an impressive company, although worth noting Eugenio Suárez and Gavin Lux One of the guys who fell closely behind Butler in the second half of production. Three months remained a relatively small sample size. Butler entered last year’s All-Star Game as a career .205/.260/.337 batsman. So far, almost 30% of his plates have appeared. In the second half, he cut the strikeout into a 19.8% cut. Although he still managed the .280/.330/.409 trend in the last month of the season, his trend began to gradually recover.
A believes he will end with this powerful end. Butler ended the season with a .262/.317/.490 slash with 451 sets. He hit 22 home runs and tried 18-18 on a stolen basis. Although most of his game time is related to right-hand pitching, he has more of his own in an unfavorable rank environment. Butler hit .291 with 5 home runs in 89 sets against Southpaws.
Butler led Mark Coates throughout the second half. He has enough basic skills to hit the top of the lineup or insert it into the middle third of the order. He is an effective basic athlete who plays in the right field every day. Statcast and defensive runs saved everyone, making him the league average guard for 955 1/3 innings. Butler has solid speed and arm strength, so he may have the tools to become an above-average outfield defender. He started 32 games in midfield in rookies, but he played only four innings there last season. JJ BLEDAED Most days I play in the middle.
A’s Butler controlled the club for five seasons. He did not work hard to reach two years of arbitration. In the 1-2 year service reservoir, there are some hitter shooters lately. Pirate Ink Third Baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes Eight years to 2022, the $70mm guarantee. Rockies signed with shortstop for 7 years, $63.5mm extension Ezequiel Tovar Last spring. Nationals and catchers reach an eight-year 50mm deal Keibert Ruiz Two seasons ago.
Butler showed an offensive ceiling higher than all of these players’ maximum limit when trading. However, each of them is the highest prospect and plays a more valuable position. Tovar and Hayes have added defenders. Butler’s deal put him along with Hayes and Toval’s contracts. That was a reasonable landing point. Butler locked in big money for damage or return. Relatively early, A’s acquisition was his breakthrough. If they wait until the next offseason, another strong season could put Butler’s asking price in more than nine figures.
Over the past few months, A has now signed three of the four largest contracts in the history of the franchise. Their three years, $67mm free agent trade Luis Severino It’s the largest ever. They signed Rooker for five years, $60mm extension and offered a six-year club option. As shown by MLBTR’s contract tracker, this is the first time A has extended the pre-note player since the $10mm transaction Sean Doolittle April 2014.
The surge in spending coincides with the three-year move to Sacramento during the franchise. They reportedly need to raise their competitive balance tax number to $105mm to avoid complaints from the MLB participants association about the use of revenue-sharing funds. They have implemented the transaction between Severino, Rooker and Reliever Jose Leclercand initial trading Jeffrey Springs.
Butler joined Rooker as the only contracted player for at least 2028, the opening of their Las Vegas Stadium. This option extends its control window to 2032. If they exercise the option, Butler will land in free agents after his 31-year-old season.
This is probably the first of A’s few spring deals. General Manager David Forst told Evan Drellich last month that the team had talks with several players. Last week, MLBTR highlighted some extension candidates in a front-end subscriber post.
Image courtesy of Imagn.
