Why? When they signed him they thought they had an above average bat whom was certainly not replacement level. Before his down year in '14 his wRC+ was at least 115 for 5 straight years and nothing was trending in the wrong direction. It was ahead scratcher, but c'mon if you're saying that a 3 year old deal for a then 28 year old deal was one of the worst in baseball then you need to change your username, cause you know nothing about value. Howard's, Pujols' deal were panned as soon as they were signed, and trending in the wrong direction.
If I was forced to, I'd sooner take Butler and his contract over any of the guys I listed.