Report: Butler, Athletics engaged in long-term extension talks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Athletics reportedly are looking to lock down their star outfielder Lawrence Butler for the foreseeable future.
Butler and the Athletics are engaged in talks about a contract extension, The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reported Wednesday, citing people briefed on the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly.
“General manager David Forst acknowledged the A’s are holding extension talks with multiple players, but declined to specify which,” Drellich added.
Butler has earned a pretty penny after a more-than-promising second half of his rookie 2024 MLB season.
The 24-year-old, who spent half of May and June with Triple-A Las Vegas because of major-league struggles, dominated over the remaining 84 games after he was recalled on June 18 and slashed .291/.330/.565 with 89 hits, 50 RBI and 20 home runs.
While Butler’s CAA agency declined to speak to Drellich about potential extension talks, he wrote, Butler himself, and Forst, provided distant insight on the contract-negotiation noise.
“Hey, whatever the organization chooses to do, I’m happy with it,” Butler told Drellich on Wednesday in the Athletics’ spring training clubhouse about the possibility of an extension. “I love being here. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to play here. So, yeah, no comment on that.”
“We’ve had conversations with a couple other players other than Brent, and those talks are ongoing,” Forst told Drellich. “It is an important thing for us to lock guys up [heading] into Las Vegas and make sure that we keep the core of what we think is a really good young team together, ongoing.”
The Athletics see Butler as a key building block of their transformative future.
Whether in Oakland, West Sacramento or the Las Vegas Strip, the organization collectively has made it clear how revered Butler is and and how all parties want the left-handed slugger and speedster to remain in the Green and Gold for years to come.
Retaining Butler, an in-house, homegrown star, especially is important considering Forst and Co. are trying to sell players on a team playing in what was intended to be a minor-league ballpark before another move in 2028.
“Lawrence Butler is, if he’s not already a superstar, he’s on his way to being one,” Athletics star designated hitter Brent Rooker told Drellich. “He’s got all the ability in the world. He’s exciting to watch. He’s crazy talented. He puts together incredible at-bats, and he’s only getting better. … “We’re teammates, we’re also friends. We’re buddies, we hang out, we talk. And I want every guy to make the decision that they feel is best for themselves as players and as humans, and the best decision for their family.”
“For me, this group of players, keeping them together for the next few years is a goal, but it’s not always a reality,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told Drellich. “Players also have to have a desire to be here, and a desire sometimes to make sacrifices to be a part of a group.”
The Athletics haven’t been known to be heavy spenders over the past decade and change. However, the organization dropped a bag this offseason, notably extending Rooker and Kotsay after signing starting pitcher Luis Severino to the largest free-agent contract in franchise history.
And the Athletics might not be done yet. If this offseason suggests anything, it’s that Butler very well can sign with the franchise long-term sooner rather than later. As it stands, he is projected to make $800,000 during the 2025 MLB season and is due to enter pre-arbitration in 2026.
