KANSAS CITY -- Departed designated hitter Billy Butler gave thanks to Kansas City fans and the Royals organization on Thursday by taking out a full-page ad in the Thanksgiving edition of the Kansas City Star.Butler, who became a free agent after the Royals declined their option on his 2015 contract, signed a three-year, $30 million deal a week ago with the Oakland A's. He'd been in the Kansas City organization since being drafted in the first round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, and he had spent most of the past eight seasons in a Royals uniform.
Billy Butler and family thank Kansas City fans in today's print edition #Royals pic.twitter.com/yRW3eSMGxs
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) November 27, 2014
His full-page ad in the "A" section of the newspaper included the headline, "Thank you for the amazing ride!" It also contained photos of Butler acknowledging a Kauffman Stadium crowd, swinging a bat and posing with his wife Katie and their daughters Kenley and Karsyn.His message: "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."It was signed by Billy, Katie, Kenley and Karsyn Butler.
Dick Kaegel/MLB.com
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