Rob Manfred Goes Off On Oakland Mayor Over A’s Move: ‘She's Not Telling People The Truth’

The Oakland A's pending move to Las Vegas has been the subject of immense frustration among local fans.

And in a situation this complex, there's likely blame to go around.

Broadcasters and fans have blamed team ownership, others have blamed Major League Baseball and by extension, Commissioner Rob Manfred. Manfred hasn't done himself any favors either, sarcastically dismissing A's fans and their efforts to protest the Vegas move.

READ: ROB MANFRED ADDRESSES OAKLAND A’S REVERSE BOYCOTT AND MOVE TO LAS VEGAS

Local government has blamed MLB AND the team, with Oakland's mayor repeatedly speaking out against both.

Manfred's mostly played defense when discussing the team, saying they worked hard to get something done in Oakland but couldn't come to an agreement. That all changed recently though; in response to more criticism from the city's mayor, Manfred went on offense in a big way.

Oakland's Mayor Sheng Thao claims that a deal to get a new stadium built was close, but Manfred told the San Francisco Chronicle that that's not true.

“I know everyone wants to pile on the A’s and pile on MLB,” Manfred said. “But I do think, in fairness, people have to look at what Mayor Thao has done and not done. She’s great on ‘MLB did this wrong’ and ‘John Fisher did that wrong.’ Did she really handle this well? Don’t think so.”

PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 15: Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. speaks to the media during the Spring Training Cactus League Media Day at Arizona Biltmore on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Lots Of Blame To Go Around On A's Move

The mayor and mayor's office have claimed that they discussed the potential for an expansion team in Oakland and retaining the A's name in the city once the team leaves.

Manfred denied any such conversation ever took place.

“That is not true,” Manfred said. “The entire meeting was about a proposal they wanted presented to keep the A’s in Oakland, so why would they be talking about an extension and making demands about what was going to happen if they went to Las Vegas? The whole purpose of the meeting was to convince us that they had a proposal to stay in Oakland. It makes no sense. It also is not true.”

He also said that the city shares significant responsibility for continuing to lose teams to other cities.

“I understand that this is a rough time for Mayor Thao,” Manfred continued.. “It looks like she’s going to lose yet another franchise from the Bay Area. That’s unfortunate. That’s a tough spot to be in. But I think we’ve kind of gotten to the point where we need to point out that she’s not telling people the truth.”

Well that's not too subtle!

Who's Really At Fault?

It's impossible to pin the blame on any one party. Oakland is a city in decline, after years of recovery, thanks in part to progressive politicians defunding police and tolerating a general lack of safety.

As a result, it's not surprising that there's less interest in building up the region with significant investment.

That said, team ownership has shown little interest in making a solution work in Oakland, largely because it would require more of their own money. And MLB has encouraged this attitude by repeatedly passing off investment costs to taxpayers. Then charging them ever increasing ticket prices after receiving their massive handouts.

If stadiums were such good investments, it wouldn't be hard for ownership to fund them themselves. But because there's no need to do so, it's easier to pick up and leave for other regions willing to pony up public funds.

It's possible that Manfred's right, that the Oakland mayor isn't telling the truth about either the potential agreement or expansion discussion. But that doesn't mean the league or owner John Fisher is blameless.