Oakland Athletics: Butler, Valencia Spar Over Sponsorship

Billy Butler and Danny Valencia got into a fight in the Oakland Athletics clubhouse that led to Butler being placed on the the 7-Day Concussion DL.

A WWE-style heavyweight fight broke out in the Oakland Athletics locker room between two A’s players recently. The scrap featured 6’1”, 240-pound Billy Butler in one corner and 6’2”, 220-pound Danny Valencia in the other. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, an endorsement deal was the reason for the fisticuffs.

Slusser spoke to two A’s players who said that Valencia has an endorsement deal with one company but had a pair of off-brand spikes in his locker. The shoe rep asked him about the off-brand shoes and Valencia said he doesn’t wear them in games. Butler jumped in and told the equipment rep that Valencia was lying and suggested the rep drop Valencia from his endorsement deal, which are typically worth between $10,000 and $20,000.

It’s hard to know if Butler was serious or not. The two players were teammates with the Kansas City Royals in 2014 and reportedly have a history of giving each other the business. Whether Butler was serious or not, Valencia did not appreciate it and the two got into a heated exchange when the rep had gone.

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Valencia confronted Butler about what Butler had said to the rep and took a few steps toward him. Butler turned and walked towards Valencia and said, “I can say whatever I want and your b**** *** isn’t going to do anything about it.”

Well, Valencia did do something about it. The two men knocked heads and started pushing each other. They may have resembled a pair of moose fighting like this:

Valencia eventually took a swing and punched Butler in the temple before teammates broke it up. Butler wasn’t scheduled to start the game that day against right-hander James Shields, but then missed two games against left-handed starters with nausea and vomiting. Butler usually starts against lefties. He was then placed on the 7-Day DL for concussions.

Jane Lee reported that Oakland A’s GM David Forst has fined and disciplined both players. As for playing time, that’s up to manager Bob Melvin.

Former teammate Eric Hosmer and current teammates Coco Crisp and Yonder Alonso directed tweets in support of Valencia. One of the players who spoke to Slusser said Butler pushed it too far and provoked Valencia. Of course, Valencia isn’t a saint in this situation. It probably shouldn’t have come to blows and it sounds like Valencia took the first swing. Also, if Valencia has an agreement to wear a certain brand of shoes and isn’t following through on that agreement, then his character is in question. On the other hand, is that any of Billy Butler’s business?

Butler played for the Kansas City Royals for eight years and by all accounts was considered a good guy to have on the team. For many of those years, he was their best hitter and a leader in the clubhouse. He signed with the Athletics before the 2015 season for three years and $30 million, but his production has waned lately. After being a full-time player who had 600 or more plate appearances every year going back to 2008, Butler has become a part-time player this season. He may have let his frustrations get the best of him in this situation.

Valencia has been a baseball vagabond. He’s played with six different teams in the last five years. When he was traded by the Kansas City Royals to the Toronto Blue Jays right before the trade deadline in 2014, there were rumors that he wasn’t a good guy in the clubhouse. Valencia barely lasted a year with the Blue Jays. He was lost on waivers to the A’s last August. After his departure, Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun wrote that “Valencia wasn’t exactly Mr. Congeniality with the Jays players or clubhouse workers.”

Next: Nats' Strasburg Back On DL

With the Oakland Athletics sitting in fourth place and 20 games out in the AL West, this is just another road bump during a bad season. If it had happened to a contending club, it would have been a bigger deal. Still, it’s not generally a good thing when two players go at it in the clubhouse. Butler will miss at least a week and, like bad little boys, their lockers have been moved farther apart. Gentlemen, to your corners!