A’s owner John Fisher claims ‘we did our very best’ to keep team in Oakland in parting letter to fans before final homestand

The A’s will play their final game in Oakland on Thursday, severing the MLB franchise’s 57-year relationship with the city and concluding a bitter saga that resulted in the team’s planned move to Las Vegas.

On Monday, A’s owner John Fisher issued a goodbye letter to fans. It was not well-received on social media, nor by at least one former A’s player.

Fisher is largely blamed in Oakland for the team’s demise from relevance and ultimately its exit from the Bay Area. In his letter, he made his case to fans that “we did our very best” to keep the team in Oakland.

Fisher’s ownership tenure and failure to secure a stadium deal in Oakland has prompted ongoing protests by Bay Area fans. In 2023 — with the A’s move to Las Vegas set in motion but not secured — a season-high crowd showed up to a game in June for a “reverse boycott” to make their feelings known.

The result was nearly 28,000 fans chanting in unison for Fisher to “sell the team.”

Fisher did not sell the team. He instead maintained his ownership stake and finalized a deal to move the franchise to Las Vegas.

The A’s will make their final homestand in this week with three games against the Texas Rangers concluding on Thursday. They will then play through at least 2027 in Sacramento while a new stadium is built in Las Vegas. The plan then is to move into the new Las Vegas stadium in 2028 whether or not Las Vegas actually wants them there.

According to multiple reports, the A’s are preparing for Thursday’s finale at the Oakland Coliseum by beefing up security and urging players and staff to not interact with fans out of fear of violence.

USA Today reports that manager Mark Kotsay was urged to scrap his plan to address fans postgame and to instead retreat for the clubhouse. Outfielder JJ Bleday told ESPN that players were advised by the team to “get on out of there” instead of gathering for postgame photos on the field.

This, of course, does not sit well with an already spurned fan base. A’s fan group “Last Dive Bar” issued a response to the reports on social media on Saturday.

Fisher’s letter was met with similar responses by fans on social media.

“I’ve seen AI responses with more sincerity,” one fan wrote.

“Absolutely insulting to the fanbase,” another added.

Ex-MLB pitcher Trevor May, who played his final season in 2023 with the A’s, issued a similar sentiment.

The A’s final Oakland homestand starts at 6:40 p.m. local time Tuesday against the Rangers. They’ll conclude the series and their stay in Oakland in Thursday’s series finale against Texas with a day game scheduled to start at 12:37 p.m.