Lawrence Butler is here to stay.
Butler and the Athletics are in agreement on a seven-year, $65.5 million contract extension with one club option, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Thursday night, citing sources.
Butler’s deal with the A’s is for seven years and $65.5 million, not $66.5 million. Fat fingers 🤦🏻♂️
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 7, 2025
The 24-year-old outfielder is on the heels of a breakout campaign in 2024 and figures to be a foundational piece for the franchise moving forward.
Butler slashed .291/.330/.565 with 89 hits, 50 RBI and 20 home runs over the Athletics’ final 84 games of the 2024 MLB season, cementing his place as a key member of the team’s lineup.
Butler recently told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser that he feels overlooked among MLB’s big-name players.
“I mean, I feel like I’ve been slept on,” Butler told Slusser. “I feel like I’m a star.”
Whoever was sleeping on Butler surely is awake now, as the rising star outfielder’s reported payday is the latest in a flurry of offseason moves made by the Athletics after lucrative deals for designated hitter Brent Rooker and right-handed pitcher Luis Severino.
On Thursday the Athletics released renderings of the organization’s proposed Las Vegas ballpark, which prompted an endearing response from Butler on social media after news of his reported contract extension broke on social media.
— Law (@itslaw1) March 7, 2025
While Butler’s ride to the big leagues wasn’t always smooth, the Athletics outfielder’s belief in himself never wavered.
“It’s all about trusting the process,” Butler told NBC Sports California’s Joaquin Ruiz last season, nearly a month into his ascent. “Baseball is full of ups and downs. Just because you’re struggling, you can’t dwell on it [or] let that eat you up. You just got to take it day by day and think of every day as ‘This might be the start of a crazy run,’ like I’m on right now.
“Everybody — staff, family, friends — everybody just talked to me always and had great things to say about me. [They] kept my head up, trying to keep me confident. I really appreciate all of them. Everybody has come over, talked to me, said some things about me, even when I was going bad. So, I appreciate all of them for that.”
As the Athletics begin a new chapter in Sacramento, the franchise can breathe a deep sigh of relief knowing Butler will be patrolling their outfield for years to come.
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