The A's this afternoon released a statement from ownership, reasserting their need to have a new ballpark and "eliminate our dependence on revenue sharing." The statement arrives after several days of heightened press speculation the club will not be allowed to move to San Jose, as it has long desired. MLB has denied it has made any decision yet on the matter, which is now entering its fourth year of active investigation. "Of the four two-team markets in MLB, only the Giants' and A's do not share the exact same geographic boundaries," the A's statement reads in part. "We are not seeking a move that seeks to alter or in any manner disturb MLB territorial rights."
The club went on to outline how the club's former owner, the late Walter Haas Jr., agreed to grant Santa Clara County to the Giants as part of their territory, as part of the Giants' unsuccessful bid to build a ballpark there in the '90s. After the Giants failed to get political approval in Santa Clara and ultimately opened what is now called AT&T Park in '00, a "return of Santa Clara to its original status was not formally accomplished," the A's statement said.
