The Athletics have been amongst Main League Baseball’s lowest-spending groups for the higher a part of the previous 20 years. Whereas that principally stays to be true now, they’ve nonetheless spent fairly a bit this offseason and made one other huge funding on Thursday night time once they reportedly agreed to phrases on a contract extension for an additional core participant.
In line with ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the A’s and outfielder Lawrence Butler are in settlement on a seven-year, $66.5 million contract extension with one membership choice.
Butler was one of many shiny spots on the A’s through the 2024 season because of a breakout rookie season that noticed him hit 22 residence runs in 412 at-bats, end as a 3.0 WAR participant and publish an OPS+ of 131 (with 100 being league common).
Butler is simply 24 years previous and figures to nonetheless have his greatest days forward of him. He’s now locked in as a cornerstone participant.
He joins Brent Rooker, who additionally signed a five-year, $60 million extension this offseason. The Rooker deal got here after the A’s signed free-agent beginning pitcher Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million. which is the biggest assured deal within the historical past of the franchise.
It’s a huge deal for the A’s from a baseball perspective, however it additionally should be irritating for the followers the franchise left behind in Oakland once they relocated. After years of penny-pinching and never spending, the A’s waited till they left Oakland to begin spending some actual money like an actual MLB group.
They’re nonetheless close to the underside of the record, however there’s not less than some type of an effort.
The A’s are going to play in Sacramento for the following couple of seasons earlier than finally transferring to a everlasting residence in Las Vegas.
