Could the A's Really Disband for Three Seasons Before Landing in Las Vegas?
There was an article published over the weekend by SacTown Sports 1140 that claimed that a source had told them that the Oakland A's, instead of finding a temporary home, could disband the franchise for three seasons until the ballpark in Las Vegas is ready for them. We'll get into some of the details, but that sounds crazy, right?
Well, Casey Pratt of ABC 7 posted on his YouTube channel that he had heard the same thing from a trusted source a few weeks ago.
So at the very least, this is an option that is being kicked around internally to some degree. The chances that it would happen likely aren't too high, but let's see at how it would look if the A's did decide to disband for three full seasons.
According to the article, MLB would run with 29 teams from 2025-27, and when 2028 comes around, they would basically do an expansion draft. The current A's players would be able to sign as free agents with other teams, and everything would start fresh in 2028.
That's insane, right? The Player's Association would be losing 40 jobs, not to mention what happens to the minor leaguers, which is undetermined. MLB would also have to green light this, which means more hassle for them in terms of scheduling and a huge uneccessary PR hit. Rob Manfred would be saying that he'd rather go with this plan than actually tell an owner--even John Fisher--what to do.
Let's play this out from Fisher's side though, because it makes some sense for him. For starters, he wouldn't have to pay any players, which is a dream he's seemingly always had. He also wouldn't have to find a ballpark to play in past 2024 or potentially pay for any of the renovations needed to those parks to fit his club. His expenses, other than the ballpark that's supposedly being build, would be much more limited.
This would also be the same timeframe that he'd be starting to sell licensing deals, tv deals, seats to the new park, and all of the other new revenue streams that come along with going to a new market. He could take that money that he's saving and potentially be able to have a payroll that's in the middle of the league after three years of savings. The hope would be for the finances in that first year to start paying for the roster moving forward.
This would make sense from his perspective since there would be no deficit spending during the A's nomad years, which would allow him some flexibility when the team would actually land in Vegas. There would also be no "Sell the team" chants to be heard because there would be no A's games.
Then John Fisher could build up his team however he'd like through an expansion draft, grabbing players that could be better than the ones that he'd have if he kept the roster intact. The A's farm system ranks in the bottom third of the league and they finshed with an MLB-worst 50-112 record in 2023.
The new market inefficiency is being relegated for three seasons, apparently. Once his roster was set, he could supplement them with free agent players that he may be more willing to sign due to the lack of payroll expenses for three full seasons.
Three big questions remain, however. First off, why would Major League Baseball cater to Fisher to this degree? The other owners may get a slightly bigger piece of the pie from tv payouts than usual, but this would be a disaster for the sport. Fisher has proven over his nearly two decades of ownership that he's not fit for the position. Why keep him around? There are other owners that could help this club flourish and bring in more cash for the league and its owners. Why keep him around?
The second question is how is this avenue easier than just giving something to the city of Oakland to get a lease extension done? Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said that they'd want an expansion team and the A's history to stay with them in The Town, but there has to be another price they'd be willing to accept. They'll never find out if nobody ever calls Oakland.
Finally, for an owner that has been so attached to keeping the franchise history intact and bringing it with him to Las Vegas, why would this be something that you'd be proud of? Vegas would essentially be getting an expansion franchise (via an expansion draft) but with the A's logo slapped on.
You can make the case that the team's low payrolls and fairly consistent playoff appearances are something that he, as a businessperson, would be proud of. But this? Having a team disappear for three years because he can't afford the bills is not a feather in his cap. It would also be something that would be remembered forever. When future generations go to Baseball-Reference and look at the history of the A's franchise, they'd be left to wonder why they didn't play from 2025-27 and then ended up in a new city.
The answer would always be that John Fisher, born into the GAP fortune, couldn't afford his bills and decided to just not field a team instead of doing something sensible. What a legacy to leave behind.
Again, this is not a likely scenario. Right now it still feels like Utah is the odds-on favorite with how hard they're pushing for a baseball team. Now we're left to wonder if this is plan "B" or plan "Z".