Billy Butler takes out a full-page newspaper ad to thank Royals fans - MLB

Former Royals DH Billy Butler, now with the Athletics after signing a three-year, $30 million deal, took out a full-page ad in the Thanksgiving edition of the Kansas City Star, reports MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel. The headline read, “Thank you for the amazing ride!”

Butler wrote:

“When this journey began in 2004, I had no idea how lucky I was to be a part of the Kansas City Royals family. From the very beginning, the Kansas City community and the entire Royals organization treated me and my family with respect, love and class. Thank you to the Glass family, the front office and the entire staff — without each of you I would not have had this fantastic experience and opportunity. Thank you to all my Royals teammates — without you I would not be the person I am today. Most importantly, thank you to all the fans that provided unwavering support for 10 years. The great community of Kansas City also allowed us to be successful off of the field through our Hit-It-A-Ton foundation. For all of these reasons and many more, we are very proud to say we were Kansas City Royals and there will always be a part of us that will #BEROYAL.”

Butler, 28, was taken in the first round (14th overall) in the 2004 draft by the Royals. Though his 2014 production was arguably the worst of his eight-year career in the major leagues, he helped the Royals reach the American League Wild Card game and ultimately ascend to the World Series, where they lost in seven games to the Giants.

In those eight seasons with the Royals, Butler hit .295/.359/.449 with 127 home runs and 628 RBI.

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SAN DIEGO — The scuffling San Diego Padres claimed catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from the New York Mets.

The two-time All-Star was designated for assignment after playing in three games for the Mets. He went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts and an RBI, looking shaky at times behind the plate.

With the disappointing Padres (24-29) getting meager offensive production at catcher, they hope Sánchez can provide a boost. Austin Nola is batting .131 with three extra-base hits and a paltry .434 OPS in 39 games. His part-time platoon partner, second-stringer Brett Sullivan, is hitting .170 with four extra-base hits and a .482 OPS in 21 games since getting called up from the minors April 16.

Luis Campusano has been on the injured list since April 17 and is expected to be sidelined until around the All-Star break following left thumb surgery.

San Diego is responsible for just over $1 million in salary for Sánchez after assuming his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

The star-studded Padres have lost seven of 11 and are 3-3 on a nine-game East Coast trip. They open a three-game series at Miami.

San Diego becomes the third National League team to take a close look at the 30-year-old Sánchez this season. He spent time in the minors with San Francisco before getting released May 2 and signing a minor league contract a week later with the Mets, who were minus a couple of injured catchers at the time.

After hitting well in a short stint at Triple-A Syracuse, he was promoted to the big leagues May 19. When the Mets reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list last week, Sánchez was cut.

Sánchez’s best seasons came early in his career with the New York Yankees, where he was runner-up in 2016 AL Rookie of the Year voting and made the AL All-Star team in 2017 and 2019.

He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season and batted .205 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 128 games last year.

With the Padres, Sánchez could also be a candidate for at-bats at designated hitter, where 42-year-old Nelson Cruz is batting .245 with three homers, 16 RBIs and a .670 OPS, and 37-year-old Matt Carpenter is hitting .174 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .652 OPS.