MESA, Ariz. — Fresh off a breakout performance last year, right fielder Lawrence Butler is engaged in talks about a contract extension with the A’s, people briefed on the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.

A power and speed threat, the 24-year-old Butler debuted in the majors two years ago and was a force for the A’s in the second half of 2024, hitting 20 home runs in 84 games once he was recalled from the minors in June. A left-handed hitter, Butler carried a .291 average, .330 on-base percentage and .565 slugging percentage in the same stretch, and stole 18 bases throughout the season.

“Hey, whatever the organization chooses to do, I’m happy with it,” Butler said Wednesday in the A’s clubhouse when asked about the possibility of an extension. “I love being here. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to play here. So, yeah, no comment on that.”

General manager David Forst acknowledged the A’s are holding extension talks with multiple players, but declined to specify which. The A’s in January locked up their best hitter, outfielder Brent Rooker, on a five-year, $60 million deal that could grow to a six-year contract. That deal came after the franchise relocated to Sacramento for at least three seasons before a planned move to Las Vegas.

“We’ve had conversations with a couple other players other than Brent, and those talks are ongoing,” Forst said. “It is an important thing for us to lock guys up (heading) into Las Vegas and make sure that we keep the core of what we think is a really good young team together, ongoing.”

Butler’s agency, CAA, declined comment.

The contract terms being discussed are not known. But Butler’s talent — which also comes with a limited track record — opens up a wide range of possibilities. When it comes to comps for Butler, the five-year, $25 million extension that the Toronto Blue Jays’ Myles Straw got from his former team, the Cleveland Guardians, represents the low end. By contrast, the eight-year, $100 million deal that the Atlanta Braves gave Ronald Acuña Jr. likely represents the ceiling.

Butler is unlikely to reach that stratosphere. Though he enjoyed a standout rookie season, Butler had not been considered an elite prospect. Still, a seven-year, $55 million deal could be a reasonable starting point in his conversations with the A’s.

That framework assumes that Butler’s earnings in arbitration will total about $25 million, with a deal that covers two of his free-agent years at $15 million apiece. Under such a structure, the A’s could in theory add more money for those free agent years, in exchange for a club option or two. Or, Butler could push for a shorter deal, if that proves to be his preference.

Butler struggled offensively in the first half last season, hitting .179 when he was sent to the minors in mid-May. But he turned heads in a late August game against the Cincinnati Reds, hitting three home runs (it was his second three-homer day in a seven-week span).

LAWRENCE BUTLER, THREE-HOMER GAME TO TIE IT 💪 pic.twitter.com/0g1pORJ6NX

— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2024

The difference upon his return, he said, was owed in part to a mechanical change. He emphasized keeping his head more still in his swing rather than “moving my head too much when I was going to swing.”

“It’s not as complicated as everybody might think it is,” Butler said. “But it’s more just like one little tweak.”

The A’s have been in the news most often because of their contentious departure from Oakland. But when Rooker was asked what he hopes fans and media talk about this year instead, what came to mind first was Butler.

“Lawrence Butler is, if he’s not already a superstar, he’s on his way to being one,” said Rooker, who hit 39 home runs for the A’s in 2024. “He’s got all the ability in the world. He’s exciting to watch. He’s crazy talented. He puts together incredible at-bats, and he’s only getting better.”

A’s players have talked to one another about potential extensions, and what it could mean to play together long-term.

“We’re teammates, we’re also friends,” Rooker said. “We’re buddies, we hang out, we talk. And I want every guy to make the decision that they feel is best for themselves as players and as humans, and the best decision for their family. I think we have such a small window in this game to impact our family in a positive way.

“But the core that we have here right now is very, very good. And I think if we can stick around together for several years to come then we’re gonna do some really cool things.”

The A’s this week extended Mark Kotsay through at least 2028, the team’s planned first year in Las Vegas. The manager said he’s keeping an eye on possible extension developments inside his clubhouse.

“For me, this group of players, keeping them together for the next few years is a goal, but it’s not always a reality,” Kotsay said, speaking generally about the business side of the game. “Players also have to have a desire to be here, and a desire sometimes to make sacrifices to be a part of a group. In Florida (as a player), I was traded two years prior to them winning the World Series. And that in itself, was like, ‘Oh, man.’ I was with this group of guys I wanted to be with. But those are uncontrollable circumstances.”

— The Athletic’s Tim Britton contributed to this report.

(Top photo of Lawrence Butler: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)