One Athletics player can now feel comfortable about scoping out some property in Las Vegas.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Thursday that the A’s have agreed to a contract extension with outfielder Lawrence Butler. The 24-year-old Butler will be getting a seven-year, $65.5 million extension from the team. Butler’s deal also comes with one team option, Passan adds.
A lefty hitter, Butler was very impressive for the A’s as a rookie last season. As the team’s regular right fielder, he produced 22 home runs, 57 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and an overall slash line of .262/.317/.490 in 125 total games. Butler also flashed some chops on defense, including a superb throwing arm.
Butler still had two years of pre-arbitration control left on his contract and was initially due to make a base salary of just $800,000 in 2025. But Butler will now be making a shade over $9 million per year with his new extension, which also buys out one or two of his free agency years (depending on the team option).
That constitutes pretty good value for the A’s, especially since Butler has five-tool upside. With the team set to play in Sacramento for the 2025-27 MLB seasons before officially moving to Las Vegas in 2028, it looks like Butler is now locked in for their Sin City era.
Nevertheless, the extension for Butler comes as a bit of a surprise, especially given the unwillingness to spend by the A’s over the last several seasons (having ranked dead last in payroll in both 2023 and 2024). But they recently signed a veteran pitcher to the biggest free agent contract in franchise history, and it was later revealed that the A’s were intentionally increasing their spending so as to avoid a potential grievance from the MLB Players Association. The sizable but still-very-affordable extension for Butler may continue on that theme for the team.
