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Athletics Sign Breakout Star to Lucrative Contract Extension

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Miller | Last updated Mar 7, 2025 11:04 AM ET

It is nice to see the Athletics – formerly of Oakland – spending money. It is good for the game as well as fans of the team.

The A’s made a splash in free agency this offseason, signing veteran righty Luis Severino to the largest deal in franchise history at three years for $67 million. They also extended Silver Slugger Brent Rooker for five years in addition to bringing in free-agent reliever Jose Leclerc.

Now, as of Wednesday night, the club has inked another extension with a foundational piece of the future.

Lawrence Butler broke out during his age-23 season last year, producing a 3.0 WAR campaign for the A’s. The 2018 third-round draft pick got into 125 games, hammering his way to an .807 OPS with 22 homers and 18 stolen bases across 451 plate appearances.

Following some serious struggles in the first half of last season, everything just seemed to click for Butler when the calendar flipped to July. He slammed three home runs in a single game on July 14, and for the month in total, Butler put up a .363/.408/.802 slash line with 10 long balls and 27 RBI.

Butler continued to get it done at the plate down the stretch, as he ended up batting .300 with a .553 slugging percentage overall after the All-Star break. He would even deliver a second three-homer performance on August 29 in Cincinnati.

Lawrence Butler's second three-homer game of the season!!! pic.twitter.com/SBu6fD9B3u
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 29, 2024

That progression has netted Butler $65.5 million over the next seven years to remain a fixture with the A’s as they set sail on their relocation adventure.

The A’s obviously intend to compete while rejuvenating and adding to their fan base in 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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