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Fans of the Oakland A’s have been accusing the organization of purposely tanking as a way to relocate. Now, team owner John Fisher responds.
In fact, Fisher claims the franchise has lost a ton of money this year, and the years before. He ultimately defends his decision to move and relocate the A’s.
Especially now that the Athletics have officially submitted their relocation application.
During an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Oakland A’s owner was asked about the accusations the franchise has faced throughout this relocation saga.
Fisher didn’t hold back one bit, as he completely denied the allegations.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. The A’s this year will lose $40 million with a $60 million payroll. And the losses that the ownership has had here with this team over the last several years have been very significant. We have done everything we can to try and build ourselves back up to being a highly competitive team again.”
With that said, the Oakland A’s owner believes relocating the team is exactly what this franchise needs. According to him, it should help the Athletics become competitive once again.
Fisher uses the Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians as a prime example during his talk with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“But all teams go through a rebuilding period. If you look at Houston and Cleveland. When you look at Cleveland before they moved into Jacobs Field, in I think 1994, they finished last, second-to-last, or third-to-last for like the previous 10 years. From 1995 through 2001 they finished first [in] six of those years. That’s just indicative of the likes of what happens.”
It makes total sense. Especially when Fisher talks about how bad the Astros were for such a long time during their rebuild period. Based on his comments, there’s a fair chance the Athletics can bounce back in a new stadium and city.
“Houston, same thing. In 2012 the A’s dominated the Astros, but for the last eight-plus years the Astros have been an almost unbeatable team. It’s just a process all teams go through, and small-market teams like the A’s often go through them more frequently because it’s harder to hold on [to] your best players.”
It’s hard to argue against Fisher’s stance and explanation. Especially considering the A’s were last in the playoffs in 2020. We’re only three years removed from that postseason appearance.
Fisher bought the A’s back in 2005. During that 18-year time span (19 seasons), Oakland has made the playoffs seven times. They’ve gone on spurts of missing the postseason for three to five years, then become a true playoff contender for three.
Plus, moving to Las Vegas likely means more revenue in general. And for a franchise like the Athletics, they could go from being a small market team to a big market team once the move is finalized.
So, despite Athletics fan’s unhappy with the assumed move, it appears to be a necessary one for this franchise to survive.