The agreement requires owner John Fisher to retain the team until at least 2028 when they are scheduled to open in Las VegasGetty Images
A provision in MLB owners' approval of the A's relocation to Las Vegas called a 10-year flip tax would prevent A’s owner John Fisher from “using the relocation simply to increase the value of his team and immediately sell,” according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. MLB gave Fisher about a $300M break by "not charging him a relocation fee," but if he turns around and tries to sell the team, he is "going to have to pay a stiff penalty." The agreement requires Fisher to "retain the team until at least 2028 when they are scheduled to open in Las Vegas." If Fisher sells before 2028, he will be "taxed 20% of the purchase price, which will be split among owners." If he sells in 2029, he will be "taxed 10%," and if he sells in 2030-2033, he will be "taxed a decreasing amount each year." He will be "unable to sell the team without being taxed until 2034" (USA TODAY, 11/19).
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QUESTIONS REMAIN: In S.F., John Shea wrote "plenty of questions remain unanswered, including who’ll lead the charge to figure out where the A’s will play after next season" and "how the A’s will be treated as lame-duck residents at the Coliseum." Fisher and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "offered conflicting views." Manfred said, "The extension is an A’s issue. I don’t do lease extensions for clubs. That’s communication between John and the mayor or whoever oversees the Coliseum. It’s a local issue.” But when those comments were relayed to Fisher, he said, “That is something that we will be working with Major League Baseball to answer. It doesn’t mean that the ultimate answer isn’t in my hands, but they will be very involved with how we think about this.” Shea noted any negotiation "must go through the joint powers agency that governs the Coliseum property," a public partnership between the city of Oakland and Alameda County, and the A’s "haven’t reached out to the agency." A’s President Dave Kaval mentioned the Coliseum, Oracle Park and Summerlin, Nev., home of the A’s top farm team, as "options for the interim years." Sources at the owners’ meetings said that Oracle "remains a legitimate possibility, at least for a portion of the A’s home schedule," and that MLB could "push for it." For the A’s to keep receiving roughly $60M annually from their RSN, they would "need to play most of their home games in their market." Team officials said that they will "revisit their contract with NBC Sports California for specific language as they figure out where to play beyond 2024" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/17).
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OAKLAND PRIDE: In San Jose, Dieter Kurtenbach noted A’s lease at the Coliseum ends in 2024, and while Oakland is "not in a fiscal position to buy the A’s out of that deal today, the self-respecting move is to let that lease expire without renewal." The city "would be leaving money on the table," but "pride is worth something, too." Fisher and Kaval would have to "scramble for a place to play games in 2025 and beyond." If Oakland has the "guts to say no to the A’s," Fisher and Kaval’s "next move will be to cross the bay." Kurtenbach: "I’m not naive enough to expect the Giants to turn down money. At the same time, why would the Giants crowd an already-too-crowded ballpark schedule with the competition? Because I can’t hope for the Giants to do the right thing and give the A’s the boot from the region, I can hope that their love of cash will bring about the same result" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS,11/17). Also in San Jose, Shomik Mukherjee wrote former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other fans, business owners and officials around Oakland see the A's move as "emblematic of what wealthy baseball owners really think of their communities." Schaaf said, “They’re going to act in their own self-interest to support one of their own. Everyone knows, including Rob Manfred, that Las Vegas would’ve been a very good expansion city for the MLB. But to rip the hearts out of Oakland’s suffering sports fans was beyond demonic" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 11/19).
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BACKING THE WRONG HORSE: In St. Louis, Ben Frederickson wrote MLB owners did their "best soulless NFL impression" with their approval of the A's relocation, as not one of them "had the courage to dissent during the unanimous vote Thursday." The Las Vegas itch "could have been scratched with expansion instead of relocation." Potential owners "are lined up," and "few could bring to the table the kind of disinterest and incompetence Fisher shows." Manfred had a "good year with smart rule changes that helped speed up the game’s pace of play," but this "black mark overshadows it." Instead of the "commissioner who saved baseball in the East Bay," Manfred is the "commissioner who ripped it away so his league could bet big on a Vegas money grab." Frederickson: "Here’s one thing Manfred and the owners he serves didn’t try. Get rid of Fisher. Get an owner who cares about Oakland and winning" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/18).
