Rob Manfred - 'Sorry' for Oakland, but A's competitive in Vegas

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred says he feels «sorry for the fans in Oakland» about the Athletics' plans to relocate to Las Vegas but denies claims by Oakland's mayor that the franchise used negotiations with the city as leverage.

Manfred discussed the plans Monday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors, adding that he believes the last-place A's can field a more competitive team in Nevada.

The franchise announced last week that it had signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a new retractable roof ballpark close to the Las Vegas Strip after being unable to reach an agreement to construct a new venue in the Bay Area. The A's had been trying to escape the run-down Oakland Coliseum for years, exploring options in Fremont and San Jose before shifting focus to Oakland's waterfront.

After the A's announced the land purchase, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement that she was disappointed the team didn't negotiate with the city as a «true partner.»

«It is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas,» she said.

Manfred disputed that, saying owner John Fisher negotiated exclusively with Oakland from 2014 to 2021 before beginning to look elsewhere.

«I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland. I really do,» Manfred said. «But for the city of Oakland to point fingers at John Fisher, it's not fair.

»We have shown an unbelievable commitment to the fans in Oakland by exhausting every possible opportunity to try to get something done in Oakland," he added. «Unfortunately, the government doesn't seem to have the will to get it done.»

The A's will work with Nevada and Clark