Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Will A's philosophy on spending change in Las Vegas?

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 8/16/23

The Oakland Athletics' looming move to Las Vegas might also come with a drastic turn in philosophy once they arrive.

The A's are known for their penny-pinching and reliance on players who most teams underrate. Still, A's president Dave Kaval told Lindsay Adler of the Wall Street Journal recently that while the time-tested avenues remain, the A's also plan to spend money in Vegas.

"We'll have money to play in the free-agent marketplace," Kaval said. "It's just going to be a completely new day in terms of the on-field product."

Some news in here as well: Source says the A’s appear to have met the CBA criteria for “a binding agreement” for a new ballpark and are expected to continue to receive revenue sharing next season: https://t.co/MzcwNjnsGY
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) August 16, 2023

While the A's move to Vegas should be lucrative, there are doubts that those dollars will translate to the product on the field. In the past, the A's haven't been known for breaking the bank on free agents. After all, former Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez still holds the mark for the largest contract (six years, $94 million) signed in A's history, but that was way back in 2004, one season before the current ownership, led by John Fisher, took over.

Under Fisher, the A's have finished dead last or second-to-last in payroll four times (2012, 2018, 2022, 2023). In fact, the highest the A's have ranked was 17th ($68.53 million) in player salaries in 2007. And while 2023 has proved that pumping money into free agents doesn't always lead to success, the A's barely attempted to field a team this season. Oakland's payroll for 2023 was $58.6 million, $10 million less than the next highest, the Pittsburgh Pirates ($68.7 million).

Will moving to a new zip code change a mindset that's existed for nearly two decades? Only time will tell. However, Kaval said the A's would have a "top-10" payroll when a new stadium in Oakland was still a real possibility. So, the franchise's track record for honesty isn't the best, and future fans in Vegas should probably take note.

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