The Oakland Athletics are undergoing a major change this offseason, with Lew Wolff deciding to step down as a managing partner for the franchise. Majority owner John Fisher will take over more responsibility for the franchise as Wolff sells off his percentage of the franchise to remaining team partners. Dave Kaval has also been named the new A’s president to replace Michael Crowley, who will move into a senior advisor role.
“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 said, per MLB.com. “John and I have talked in great length about the future of this club and I am ready to pass the reins to him.”
Wolff, at age 81, says he was simply ready to enjoy the A’s as a fan and not as an executive.
“We’re all getting into our ninth decade on this planet,” Wolff said, according to The Mercury News. “This is the perfect time to ease up. I loved the experience. I enjoyed the ride. But I think the energy that John will bring to it will be good. I’ll probably attend the same amount of games as ever. But I can watch the games with less stress. Well, just slightly less.”
Wolff’s resignation from a role as an executive comes at an interesting time within the A’s organization, with the future of the team’s stadium situation in flux, but Wolff says he was not looking to get out before an uncertain future gets clouded for the A’s, and he says Fisher will be prepared to make the best possible decisions moving forward.
It is worth noting Wolff and Fisher have reportedly felt differently about the best stadium situation for the A’s in the future, with Wolff preferring the Coliseum’s location and Fisher preferring other possible sites around Oakland.
“I think John is 54 years old and that’s the perfect age for him to do this,” Wolff said. “But we’ll get there. I believe we’ll get there. It would have been nice for me to be at a groundbreaking in this job. But maybe I’ll still experience one without being wheeled into it.”
So while there may be a shakeup with the leadership of the A’s, this should have no impact on future stadium plans other than specific location. If anything, this could pave the way to a new stadium plan even faster with Fisher controlling even more of the team than before.
