I wasn’t exactly thrilled nor upset when I heard about the Athletics signing free agent Billy Butler to a 3 year, 30 million dollar deal. He was fun to watch when the Royals made their run to the World Series, yet in the end he is nothing more than one of those charismatic players that the fans love (that shtick may work in KC, but not in Oakland where you must produce) but really doesn’t add much to your team. Obviously the Athletics are hoping that he returns to his 2012 form when he hit 29 dingers with 107 RBI’s. His stats last season were unacceptable for someone who plays DH/1B with only 9 HR’s. I’m not sure where the Bill James disciples stand on the issue, but I stand firm on my belief that the hot corners should hit for some power. I am also not a big fan of plodding players that clog the bases; the Bobby Hill look-alike also grounds into a lot of double plays leading the league twice.
In the end the Oakland ball-club is paying a player that may have his best days behind him the highest that he’s EVER been payed. It’s a classic case of giving a player his money for stats that haven’t been produced for your team and that may never be re-produced. Let the fans have fun and kick the tires on their new car for awhile, yet I see no reason to get too excited. This is nothing more than change for the sake of change…or perhaps owner Lew Wolff wants to pacify the fans who think of him as Satan by “giving a dog a bone.”
