clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Athletics confirm 3-year deal with Billy Butler, reactions

Baseball was all atwitter (and a-bloggin') on Tuesday night as word leaked out of the deal.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Oakland Athletics officially confirmed that it had reached an agreement with free agent designated hitter/first baseman Billy Butler through 2017. Athletics general manager Billy Beane will hold a conference call later this morning to discuss his role.

Baseball was all atwitter (and a-bloggin') on Tuesday night as word leaked out of the deal. Some reactions:

Blog notes

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle ("Report: A's Sign Billy Butler" sfgate.com):

Butler presumably would platoon at DH, maybe with John Jaso if Jaso's catching duties are limited after repeated concussions, and also get time at first base. Butler, 28, is not known as a great defender, but the A's have few right-handed hitting first-base options besides Nate Freiman and oft-injured Kyle Blanks. Their options were so limited there last season that they used the diminutive Alberto Callaspo there despite his lack of experience at the position, and he did not fare particularly well there.

Drew Silva of NBC Sports Hardball Talk ("A's sign Billy Butler to three-year, $30 million contract" hardballtalk.nbcsports.com):

That's quite a lengthy commitment to a designated hitter whose OPS has been in a freefall over the past three seasons - .882 in 2012, .787 in 2013, and .702 in 2014 - but Butler is only 28 years old and the average annual value of the deal ($10 million) isn't too bad. Maybe he'll be able to find new life with the A's, who excel at exploiting righty-lefty matchups.

Joon Lee of MLB Daily Dish ("Athletics agree to three-year, $30 million deal with Billy Butler" mlbdailydish.com)

Butler could platoon at DH with catcher John Jaso if the team decides to limit his catching opportunities following a string of concussions. Given the A's affinity towards position platoons, it would not be surprising to see opportunities for Butler in a variety of roles.

Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors ("Athletics Sign Billy Butler" mlbtraderumors.com"):

Something will have to give for the A's, whose roster is already chock full of players who occupy various value niches for the team. Oakland recently added Kyle Blanks to serve as a right-handed power option. And Craig Gentry functions as a right-handed platoon/bench bat capable of playing the corner outfield. It would certainly seem all but impossible for the team to keep each of those players, add Butler, and maintain two left-handed hitting outfield pieces (Josh Reddick and Sam Fuld) on top of three catching/first base/DH options (Derek Norris, John Jaso, and Stephen Vogt) to go with Brandon Moss and a utility infielder on the active roster.