The Athletics have been one of baseball's worst teams over the last three years, haven't made the playoffs since 2020 and annually field one of the lowest payrolls in the MLB. Throw in the fact that the franchise is currently calling a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento home, after fleeing Oakland in hopes of one day playing in Las Vegas, and it is little surprise that players don't have great things to say about the organization.
In fact, based on an anonymous poll of more than 100 big leaguers by The Athletic, the A's are the most disliked franchise in the entire MLB.
The outlet asked which franchises have good and bad reputations among players. The Dodgers overwhelmingly came out on top, with 82 of the 126 total responses listing them among the teams with a good reputation. No players said they have a bad one.
The Athletics, on the other hand, received zero votes for good reputation and a league-high 39 votes for a bad reputation.
Which organizations have the worst reputations among players?
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 11, 2025
The Athletics lead our poll.
Here's why ⤵️https://t.co/jBNppQMTwI pic.twitter.com/8WE1LNyrAh
“Because they’re cheap,” one anonymous player said in the survey, while another mentioning the franchise's current minor league arrangement.
“I had a buddy who was traded to the A’s as a minor leaguer. … He went to Oakland and said the way they were fed, the places they stayed were just not good," a third respondent answered.
Of the league's 30 teams, 20 received at least one vote for bad reputation, including three votes for the New York Yankees (who have 30 votes as a team with a good one) and the first-place Detroit Tigers. Nine franchises only received bad votes, but no one topped the Athletics' 39 negative votes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Players Have Clear Top Choice for Franchise With Worst Reputation.
