Athletics owner John Fisher issued an apology to fans in a letter on Monday, addressing the team's imminent departure from Oakland. Fisher released the letter just a day before the A's final home series in Oakland, where they have been based for the past 57 seasons. The team is set to relocate to Las Vegas in 2028 after Fisher's failed negotiations with the city of Oakland for a new, modern stadium.
From 2025 to 2027, the A's will play in Sacramento at the home of the minor league River Cats, with an option for 2028, due to the inability to extend their lease in Oakland during that period. The A's have been based at the Oakland Coliseum since their arrival in the city, but fans have voiced concerns over the stadium's declining condition in recent years. Fisher's decision to move the team last November sparked significant backlash among fans.
The 63-year-old, who acquired the A's with Lew Wolff in 2005, stated that he did everything possible to keep the franchise in Oakland. "We proposed and pursued five different locations in the Bay Area. And despite mutual and ongoing efforts to get a deal done for the Howard Terminal project, we came up short," Fisher wrote. "... I know there is great disappointment, even bitterness. Though I wish I could speak to each one of you individually, I can tell you this from the heart: we tried. Staying in Oakland was our goal, it was our mission, and we failed to achieve it. And for that I am genuinely sorry."
Despite missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, the A's leave behind a legacy of success in the Bay Area. The franchise secured four World Series titles, six American League pennants, and 17 division championships since moving to Oakland in 1968. Under Fisher's ownership, the A's made seven playoff appearances, including four as division champions.
The A's will kick off their final series in Oakland, a three-game set against the Texas Rangers, on Tuesday. The team plans to commemorate their time in Oakland with giveaways, including a collectible ticket and a miniature replica of the Coliseum. The decision to leave Oakland has further alienated fans, causing the team's already low attendance to plummet. This season, they averaged just over 10,000 fans per game, the lowest in the major leagues, but a sellout crowd is expected to fill the 46,765-seat Coliseum one last time on Thursday.
The move to Las Vegas is not universally supported. In February, Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman criticized the team's stadium plan, stating it "does not make sense" and suggesting A's ownership should reconsider their options in the Bay Area. "I personally think [the A's have] got to figure out a way to stay in Oakland to make their dream come true," she said on the Front Office Sports Today podcast.
