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The Athletics are preparing to start their short run in Sacramento this season. While they fell woefully short of the playoffs last season, they have some players giving the fans hope. One is Brent Rooker, who inked a $60 million extension this offseason. The Athletics are also working on a contract extension with outfielder Lawrence Butler, Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported.
“Hey, whatever the organization chooses to do, I’m happy with it,” Butler said, per Drellich. “I love being here. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to play here. So, yeah, no comment on that.”
Butler was sent down to the minors last May after a rough spring with the Athletics. When he came back in mid-June, he hit the ground running. In the final 84 games of the season, he hit 20 homers, drove in 50 runs, and stole 15 bases without getting caught. That is a small sample size to pay someone off but the Athletics need to build a core.
Since 2020, the Athletics have not made the playoffs as they disassembled the core that had them in the playoffs in the late 2010s. With Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, and other stars gone, they need to build that core back up. Butler and Rooker can be the building blocks for the future.
The Athletics must keep Lawrence Butler around long term
The Athletics don't have to sign Butler this offseason. He becomes arbitration-eligible in 2027 and a free agent in 2030, which gives them plenty of time to get the deal done. But teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves have locked up young stars long before arbitration hits the table. So getting Butler a long-term deal would not be unheard of and would set up their team for the future.
The Athletics also signed Luis Severino to a monster contract this offseason to be their ace. But their mini-spending spree only started because the MLB Player's Association threatened to take away their revenue sharing. Since tearing down that 2010s core, they have not spent money in free agency. Now, they are finally part of the MLB offseason again.
If the Athletics can continue to develop prospects like Butler and find diamonds in the rough like Rooker, they could be in playoff contention soon. The AL West is weakening and the team has to get into contention to keep fans interested before their move to Vegas. Lawrence Butler's extension is the next step in that journey.
