OAKLAND, Calif. _ Lew Wolff's departure Thursday as the A's managing partner might be just part of seismic changes in store for the club in the next few months.
Wolff, who together with John Fisher bought the club 11 years ago, will be selling the majority of his shares, currently estimated about 10 percent of the stock. Fisher, whose current holding is at about 80 percent, will be taking over as managing partner.
At the same time, Michael Crowley is stepping aside from his 18-year job as the club's president and will become senior advisor with David Kaval, who spent the last six years as the San Jose Earthquakes president, taking the same title with the A's. Kaval and Wolff have a long history together, Earthquakes owner Wolff having hired Kaval six years ago. Wolff apparently will retain ownership of the Quakes.
For much of 2016 the reclusive Fisher has shed his hands-off public role and has been the point man in the A's search for a new home in Oakland. While the A's have been looking for a new home for more than a decade, should the Raiders leave for Las Vegas, a new facility at 66th and Interstate-880 could become a reality in the near future.
But local officials are still hoping to have both the A's and Raiders call Oakland home. Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf thanked Wolff for his work with the A's and said she will continue to do so as "as he moves to build a much-needed new hotel in downtown Oakland."
Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said "with the Fisher family having higher ownership interest, I think that bodes well" for keeping the team in Oakland.
At the same time, an investment group led by Ronnie Lott has sent a revised term sheet to city and county officials and "we are getting very close to putting something tangible forth to the NFL owners so the owners see that Oakland is viable."
Wherever it's located, a new stadium might pump some much-needed revenue into the A's bank accounts. And they may need it, because they may be about to lose in excess of $30 million. Because of the shabbiness of the Coliseum and the inability to get a new facility going, Oakland has been grandfathered into a high-level MLB program in which big revenue teams funnel money to smaller market ones to help them be competitive.
The new basic agreement between owners and the players' association is in the final stages of negotiation and could be announced by the time the current agreement ends on Dec. 1, or possibly could be announced at the winter meetings a week later. And the negotiations have included the possibility of stripping all or part of the money the A's have been getting from baseball's structure going forward.
Some of the other owners have not been impressed by the way the A's have spent that money.
Many A's fans have felt the same way, using social media to express their displeasure at seeing the A's habitually move players off the roster once they become too expensive. In the last few months alone, veterans Josh Reddick, Rich Hill, Coco Crisp, Danny Valencia and Billy Butler all have found new homes, although the A's are still on the hook for $10 million due Butler in 2017.
Were that check from MLB no longer to be headed Oakland's way, the A's, who have a long history of finishing the year with a profit, might have difficulty doing so.
"I want to thank Lew for his leadership over the last 11 years," Fisher said in a statement issued by the club. "His initiative and love of the game of baseball brought my family to the A's, and we would not be involved without him.
"Lew has given the organization all of his energy and experience for the last 11 years and I look forward to a new chapter in our working relationship and friendship. It is a privilege for me to steward the A's at this important moment for the franchise."
Last week Wolff hinted that something was in the works when he said "you may be talking to John before too much longer."
In a statement Thursday, the 80-year-old Wolff seemed willing to move on.
"It has been an honor serving as Managing Partner and I thank our fans, staff, and players for the opportunity I've had to lead this great organization," Wolff's statement read. "John and I have talked in great length about the future of this club and I am ready to pass the reins to him."
But in the 11 years that the Fisher/Wolff group has been in place, the A's have won the American League West title three times and made the playoffs four times. The last two seasons have seen the A's finish dead last in the American League West. In 2016 the club had a payroll of $85.8 million, 26th among the 30 MLB teams.
Kaval, who is due to meet with Bay Area media later Thursday, has a long baseball history. The Stanford product founded the independent Golden Baseball League in 2005. Although none of the franchises were based in the Bay Area, the league offices were in San Ramon from the time of the first games in 2006 through the merge into the now-defunct North American League in 2011.
Although not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the minor leagues, the league featured cameos from a host of big names, including Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, Hideki Irabu and Mark Prior and sold the contracts of more than 100 players to big league clubs. Seven of those, including longtime Giant Sergio Romo, made it to the big leagues.
