Kansas City Royals: Re-Signing Drew Butera Not Surprising

The Kansas City Royals decided to re-sign backup catcher Drew Butera on a two-year deal. This was not a bad decision by the club and wasn’t surprising in the least bit.

If the KC Royals are going to make one last run at a World Series with their current group of players, then why not re-sign Drew Butera?

Sure, a backup catcher is a backup catcher, but Butera proved to be a valuable member of the team last season. He stepped in for Salvador Perez when he missed time due to injury and actually fared pretty well behind the dish and at the plate.

Butera batted .285 in 56 games last season and caught 325.1 innings. Those might not seem like big numbers, but make no mistake – Drew Butera helped keep this team relevant down the stretch.

Heading into 2017, the Kansas City Royals already lost Kendrys Morales, who was the biggest bat on their team. Morales departed for Toronto for a three-year deal and the Royals are now left without a designated hitter.

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This ties into Butera because his presence with the team in 2017 will allow Salvador Perez to do some work at the designated hitter spot from time to time. It’ll also give the four-time Gold Glover and All-Star some extra rest throughout the year.

While Butera is nothing fancy at the plate, he had a decent season in 2016. He only hit four home runs, but was able to plate 16 RBI and drew eight walks. He has decent plate discipline and that’s not a bad idea re-signing someone that the rest of the team likes and is familiar with.

Sure, the Royals could have gone with a cheaper option like Tony Cruz or brought up someone from the minors, but if they’re going to go all out and try to bring home World Series title number three in 2017, then I have no issue with bringing Butera back.

He’s a seasoned vet and knows all of the pitchers pretty well. He also works well with Yordano Ventura whenever ol’ Ace is set to throw. The two seem to have a good connection and that could have played a part in Butera getting brought back as well.

Next: Ten Best Catchers in Royals History

At the end of the day, Drew Butera isn’t going to be an All-Star or Gold Glove catcher, but he’s a reliable backup and that’s huge for this team moving forward.

Hopefully this will be a good decision and the Royals will have another ring and another title at the end of the 2017 season.

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