MLB boss Rob Manfred confirms new Oakland Athletics future: "Sorry for the fans in Oakland”

Things have changed a lot since the 2019 Oakland Athletics treated fans to 97 wins, including a league-best 10 walk-off wins. Now, it appears as though fans in Oakland will not have a team in the near future.

After the 2021 season, the Oakland Athletics offloaded significant talents like Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Mark Canha and Chris Bassitt. After acquiring basically no new players to draw fans for the 2022 season, it did not take long for the bottom to fall out of the team.

In 2022, the Oakland Athletics finished last in the MLB in wins and average attendance. In 2023, the A's have a record of 4-18, placing them in last place once again.

Due to the aforementioned circumstances, it was not a surprise when the team announced its purchase of a 49-acre site in downtown Las Vegas and announced its intent to move there by 2027.

"The Oakland Athletics have signed a binding agreement to purchase land near the Las Vegas Strip. They intend to construct a $1.5 billion, 35,000-seat major league ballpark, team president Dave Kaval said Wednesday night." - ESPN

To make matters worse, the mayor of Oakland, Sheng Thao, has accused the team and its owners of staging negotiations with the city just to extract a better deal from Las Vegas.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has been a strong proponent of the team's move to Las Vegas, and has been on the team's case for several years to form a plan.

Now that the situation has developed further, Manfred made some recent comments commending the fans in Oakland and wishing them the best, stating that he felt “sorry for the fans in Oakland”. He also denied any involvement from the league in the alleged power play involving the local government in Oakland.

"Rob Manfred supports the Athletic’s decision to relocate to Las Vegas" - Sportskeeda Baseball

The Athletics have not won a World Series since beating the San Francisco Giants in the 1989 Fall Classic. Fans have also placed owner John Fisher squarely in the crosshairs as the team continues to post profits despite the team's stadium, O.co Coliseum, falling into a state of disrepair.

The Oakland Athletics' end was just as anticlimactic as expected

Say what you will about the issues facing the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds, but the Oakland Athletics are in the end-stage of failure. Hopefully the team can find a way to foster a winning culture when it starts anew in Las Vegas.