Kansas City Royals Decline Option, Release Billy Butler
By Josh Hill
The Kansas City Royals made it to the World Series, but the inevitable destruction of the roster has already begun with the cost cutting measure to let Billy Butler become a free agent.
Billy Butler wasn’t the star of the Kansas City Royals World Series run, but he’s been a big part of the growth of the team for some time now. His part in that growth is done though,as the Royals have declined a $12 million option on the slugger which makes him a free agent.
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Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star confirmed the news that Royals fans saw coming from a mile away. Butler may not be totally out of the picture in Kansas City, but for the time being he’s going to be hitting the open market.
Billy Butler is holding a conference call, set up by the Royals, at 12:30 pm. He wants to stay.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) November 1, 2014
It was a rough season for Butler as he didn’t make a splash the way he could have, but it’s hard to say that the Royals would have picked up a $12 million tab on Butler no matter what he did. HE’s not a young player, he’s not a versatile player and he’s not worth $12 million.
He’s worth something though, and there are teams out there like the Seattle Mariners who may make a play near that $12 million range. Butler will always be remembered in Kansas City though, but the sacrifice of his contract will eventually come in handy when the Royals want to bring back more important players later on.