New CBA talks between MLB and the MLBPA "could be costly" to the A's, as the ballclub is in "danger of losing some or even all" of its annual check from revenue sharing, according to sources cited by Susan Slusser of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The team was "grandfathered into the program" because of its "antiquated stadium, despite being in a larger market," and received upward of $34M in revenue sharing last season. Union reps, as well as other team owners who dole out revenue-sharing checks each year, "believe the A's aren't doing an adequate job of spending that hefty sum on team improvement." An MLBPA source said, "That's definitely been a topic." Slusser noted the negotiations "come at a time when the A's are under fire for consecutive last-place finishes, for parting with numerous fan-favorite players for cost reasons, and for their inability to identify a site" for a new ballpark. Any loss in revenue-sharing proceeds "could reduce" the team's "already frugal spending -- and also could trigger at least a partial ownership change." Sources said that if the team "no longer is as profitable, there is an increased chance that it would be sold ... or that a minority owner might cash out." One of the clubs thought to "most dislike the A's annual revenue-sharing check" is the Giants, who "invoked their territorial rights to refuse to allow their cross-bay rival to build a privately funded stadium in San Jose." A's sources said that the perception that the club is lagging on finding a new facility is one reason co-Owner John Fisher has "taken on a more visible role" in the ballpark search (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/1).
LOSING PATIENCE? CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote the threat of the A's losing a portion of revenue sharing "suggests that patience is thinning" with the team's ongoing business plan of "keeping a low financial profile and bathing in the annual revenue check from their corporate overlords." The "worst-case scenario" for Fisher and co-Owner Lew Wolff is the Raiders staying in Oakland at the same time that MLB "stops filling their pockets." That would mean the "two reasons they own the team -- making money with a new stadium, and making money with the kindness of strangers -- will disappear entirely, and selling the team under those conditions will be considerably more difficult" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 11/1).
