Billy Butler, the longtime Kansas City Royals first baseman and designated hitter has been rumored to being traded. Why? Well the Royals have bigger plans. As they are focused on making playoff runs, they are attempting to bring back one of the postseason's best hitters. Where will Butler go though?
Wait, too many questions. Who are the Royals trying to bring in to Kansas City?
None other than Carlos Beltran. The name might ring a bell, he is one of the all-time home run leaders in the postseason and seems to have caught a case of Benjamin Button as he only gets better with time. Better yet, is it safe to say Jay-Z is the modern day Benjamin Button? Anyways, the Royals have been rumored to bringing Beltran back to the city where he started his baseball career.
Remember him in a Royal blue uniform? No! Not as a New York Met. Beltran made his debut with the Royals in 1998. He was drafted in the second round of the 1995 amateur draft and officially became a Royal on June 5 of that year. The rest was history. Though he never made a playoff appearance with the Royals, Beltran engraved his name in the baseball books as one of the best hitters of this generation.
Oh wow! Does he not resemble Jacoby Ellsbury at least a bit?
Now, back to Butler.
His weight might make him look a little older, but Butler is now entering his prime. He will be 28 years old in 2014 and has averaged 19 home runs and 90 RBI with a .298 batting average every 162 games in his seven-year career. HIs lowest batting average came in 2008 at .275. He is a hitting machine and for a long time, Butler was the most valuable asset in the Royals' organization.
Butler is only signed through 2015 after reaching a four-year agreement for $30 million. He's a steal for any team, but he is set to make just over $20 million over the next two seasons with a $12.5 million option and $1 million buyout in 2015.
The Seattle Mariners have been rumored as a possible landing spot. Kendrys Morales and Mike Morse are both free agents in 2014, giving the Mariners room to play with in their budget. Butler is a native of Florida, so moving all the way to Seattle might be burdensome, but he could make great contributions to a team with talented hitters that have no protection in the lineup.
Stick with Sports World Report as we will bring you more rumor updates regarding Billy Butler, Carlos Beltran and the Kansas City Royals.
