A’s owner John Fisher claims ‘we did our utmost’ to keep the team in Oakland in a farewell letter to fans before the final home games

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

On Monday, A’s owner John Fisher sent a farewell letter to fans that was not well-received on social media, and by at least one former A’s player.

Fisher is largely blamed in Oakland for the team’s demise and eventual departure from the Bay Area. In his letter, he told fans that “we have done everything we can” to keep the team in Oakland.

Fisher’s tenure and failure to secure a stadium deal in Oakland have led to sustained protests from Bay Area fans. In 2023 — with the A’s move to Las Vegas in motion but not yet secured — a season-high crowd showed up for a June game in 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. Instead, he retained his ownership stake and finalized a deal to move the franchise to Las Vegas.

The A’s play their final home game this week with a three-game series against the Texas Rangers ending on Thursday. They will then play in Sacramento until at least 2027 while a new stadium is built in Las Vegas. The plan is to move to the new stadium in Las Vegas in 2028, regardless of whether Las Vegas actually wants them there.

According to multiple reports, the A’s are preparing for Thursday’s final at the Oakland Coliseum by beefing up security and asking players and staff to avoid interacting with fans for fear of violence.

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

This of course does not sit well with an already scorned fan base. The A’s fan group “Last Dive Bar” responded to the messages on social media on Saturday.

Fans on social media responded to Fisher’s letter with similar reactions.

“I’ve seen AI responses that were more genuine,” one fan wrote.

“Totally insulting to the fans,” added another.

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

The A’s final home game in Oakland begins at 6:40 p.m. local time Tuesday against the Rangers. They’ll close out the series and their stay in Oakland in the final game of the series on Thursday against Texas with a day game starting at 12:37 p.m.