The Royals and Billy Butler have agreed to a four year extension worth 30 million dollars, according to NBC Sports. Butler will earn 7.5 million annually, a good salary for both sides buying out all of his arbitration years.
Butler, a former interviewee of MLBDD, is just 24 years old and is still expected to blossom into a big time power hitter in the next few years. He hit 21 home runs in 2009 and 15 home runs in 2010, hitting a combined .309 over that span.
The Royals expect Butler to develop into a 30 home-run hitter while maintaining the average he has achieved recently. With the economy, teams will do what they can to lock up their best players in order to maintain a modest payroll from year to year.