MLB news roundup
It’s Friday, Athletics Nation.
Well, pie in my face: the A’s have announced that 2024 will be their last season in Oakland.
I thought the A’s would work out an extension at the Coliseum, though I am not really shocked that negotiations fell through. The level of animus between between the city, its fans, and the A’s has reached such a high degree of toxicity that simply disengaging ought to be something of a relief at this point. I’m sure, however, that much of this resentment will spill over into the massive floodplain that is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and find its way into Sutter Health Park.
Pie in all our faces, really. The A’s told us they were Rooted in Oakland for years, and some of us dared hope it was true. Now wipe some of that sweet banana cream off your face and console your palate with it.
Players past and present have lamented and criticized the move. Former A’s closer and Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley said that yesterday’s news “hit me in the gut,” and former Athletic and Mets announcer Ron Darling declared on air that he is appalled at the team’s actions in recent months.
Scour every corner of the sports journalism community and you will be hard pressed to find support for the direction the A’s are going. Fisher may be chiefly to blame in this, but MLB leadership and ownership are complicit as well.
It appears that the difference between what Oakland offered and what the A's wanted was about $35 million or so over three years.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 4, 2024
Or about the same that the Angels are paying reliever Robert Stephenson.
Meanwhile, owners overseeing an industry worth many tens of billions of…
John Fisher being unable to play in a stadium he owns a 50% share in is an elite level of business incompetence.
— Vitamin Dee (@2Legit2QuitDee) April 4, 2024
Furthermore, uprooting the A’s to play temporarily in a minor league park cements his legacy as an atrocious steward of a historic team & a stain on Bay Area sports. pic.twitter.com/zazwf2Tzas
But all of this protest, condemnation, and ridicule has fallen on deaf ears. John Fisher is clearly determined to get the A’s out of Oakland, regardless of the toll it is taking on his reputation and legacy.
Get some extra sleep this weekend, AN. Perhaps the A’s will get their second win of 2024 soon.
Roster moves.
A'S MOVES: RHP Adrian Martinez cleared waivers/assigned to LV, LHP Easton Lucas to LV active roster, RHP Gerardo Reyes to LV IL, LV OF Stephen Piscotty to Player Development List, OF Esteury Ruiz to LV, IF-OF Tyler Nevin waiver claim/added to A’s roster...https://t.co/joKXkyUAPy
— Athletics Farm (@AthleticsFarm) April 4, 2024
Comments disabled.
Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento will host the A's for the 2025-27 seasons - ahead of the team's move to Vegas in 2028. pic.twitter.com/KryyjzpLMl
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 4, 2024
Former A’s beat writer weighs in.
Sports will always break your heart at some point but this is next level and never should have happened. I feel, as always, for the A’s longtime, dedicated employees, and their amazing fans. What a dreadful day for baseball.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 4, 2024
April gut punches are becoming a tradition.
On a serious note, this feels like the Vegas gut punch all over again.
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) April 4, 2024
I feel bad for all the A's fans who have been put through the ringer the past 25 years.
The cowardice, hypocrisy, cronyism and lack of accountability is brutal.
Bad blood already flows in Sactown.
The A’s relationship in Sacramento ended so poorly that their River Cats Hall of Fame wall has a collection of photos of players like Mark Ellis and Eric Chavez wearing non-A’s uniforms. Chances are the second ending of that relationship will be even worse.
— Melissa Lockard (@melissalockard) April 4, 2024
The B’s will soon be Oakland’s only pro baseball team.
From the Oakland Ballers, or B’s: pic.twitter.com/Lz63p3DANS
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 4, 2024
