Buster Olney of ESPN is reporting that the Royals will be listening to offers for designated hitter and first baseman Billy Butler.
Royals ready to talk about Billy Butler deal for teams that would take on DH owed $8 million in '14, $12m in 2015.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 22, 2013
Butler, 27, has $8 million owed to him for 2014, with a $12.5 million team option for 2015 with a $1 million buyout.
The right-handed hitting slugger is coming off his worst season batting .289/.374/.412 with 15 home runs, 27 doubles, 82 RBI and 79 walks. He is one of the most durable players in the game appearing in all 162 contests for the Royals this season and averaging 160 games over the last five seasons.
The former 2004 first-rounder (14th overall) had his best season in 2012 when he banged out 29 homers, 32 doubles and 107 RBIs while batting .313/.373/.543.
In Kansas City he’s known as “Country Breakfast” and while their may be some concerns about his defense at first base, even in a down season, Butler posted numbers that surpassed anything Mets first baseman put on the board. And it’s not like Lucas Duda is twinkle toes on defense.
I’m envisioning headlines after a walk-off home run splattered all over the back pages in the New York Post and Daily News saying, “The Butler Did It!”
