A’s president Dave Kaval announced Friday that he’s resigning from his role in order to “pursue new business opportunities in California.” His last day with the team will be Dec. 31. Kaval, former president of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, has been with the A’s since 2016. Board member Sandy Dean will serve as the A’s interim president while the club conducts a search for a new president early in 2025.
“We are grateful for Dave’s contributions and leadership over the past eight years,” owner John Fisher said in a statement within today’s press release. “He guided our organization through a period of significant transition, and we sincerely thank him for his unwavering commitment to the team. As we look ahead to the next chapter of our franchise, the team will continue to grow under new leadership, driving the organization toward success during our interim years in West Sacramento and at our new home in Las Vegas.”
Kaval joined the A’s in 2016, when former managing partner Lew Wolff sold his stake in the team to Fisher, who assumed an even broader role at the time. He’s been the public face of the A’s now-abandoned efforts to build a new stadium in Oakland. During Kaval’s tenure with the A’s, the team explored the possibility of new facilities at Howard Terminal, Jack London Square and even at the site of their now-former home, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Kaval played an integral role in the construction of what’s now known as PayPal Stadium in San Jose, home to MLS’ Earthquakes (also owned by Fisher). At the time of his hiring, he pledged his enthusiasm for “[pursuing] a world-class ballpark in Oakland for the best fans in baseball.”
Clearly, that never panned out. Kaval and Fisher drew sharp criticism from A’s fans throughout the latter portion of his time with the team, as many questioned the sincerity of the team’s desires to remain in Oakland. The A’s announced in 2023 that they planned to relocate to Las Vegas and have since begun the process of relocating to a 33,000-seat stadium located on the Las Vegas strip at the site of the since-demolished Tropicana Casino. The A’s will play the next three seasons at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park — the home of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. They’re expected to move into their new permanent Las Vegas home in 2028.
Good to know. So we’ll follow his career and make sure not to invest in any company he might be involved with in the future
Actually I am pretty sure that the athletics made a good amount of money under him. I think sometimes we forget that baseball is a business that the owners want to make money.
As a fan it can be hard to watch when we have bad teams winning is behind making money
Most definitely … between the salary cap revenue checks they got from MLB, the tax write offs from “losses” … he can concentrate on the other poorly run soccer team in the MLS, the Earthquakes (owned by Fisher) again if he probably wants to.
Ben – Right you are! In fact they made a $29M profit in 2022.
The owners of many teams such as mine, if given the choice of making a nice profit and missing the postseason or making the postseason and having a smaller profit, they will choose the nice profit every time.
I dont think any small-mid market fan ever ‘forgets’ that owners want to make money. Jerry Dipoto and John Stanton beat it into M’s fans skulls every offseason and ask us to thank them for it.
True, you’ll just have to make sure he’s involved in some artificially propped up market with stuff like revenue sharing or no bid government contracts.
Sacramento A’s will be an exciting team to watch and no one will miss Kaval.
There are no Sacramento A’s, just the ATH’s
Stairs
You can speak using Fisher talking points or you can join Sacramento in cheering for our Sacramento A’s!
I already have my Sacramento A’s t-shirt on Kelly green for the Opening Series and you are welcome to join the party.
I’ll wear a Sacramento A’s shirt when the players do.
They are the Las Vegas A’s.
Sac is the friends couch they are sleeping on.. A small couch at that.
The Bureau of Land Management?
we all invest in it, unless you don’t pay taxes i guess
Bureau of Land Mismanagement
Pretty sure he cpuld care less at you $100 capable investmemts
Tiki, it’s too bad you didn’t get a brain for Christmas.
Big Lebowski Movie? Bacon Lettuce Mayo? Banana Lollipop Machine?
Hilarious lol
I mean, was it really his choice to spend nothing? Fischer sets a budget, he’s not able to go over said budget.
Hopefully John Mozeliak—- possibly other members of his Cardinals front office team —- jumps at the opportunity to join the A’s for the 2025 season.
Wow, not sure how a’s fans will react over this blockbuster … both of them!
dude come up with some new material. You’ve worn it out.
Still hurts though, huh. And it points to the real story here: A’s fans are a bunch of entitled whiners, and MLB is a business that can’t afford, or doesn’t want to carry a team that draws 10,000 fans on a good night and what little market they have cuts into that of one of the league’s more prominent economic drivers.
You sound fairly grumpy. Hopefully your mom brings your dino nuggets and Mountain Dew to the basement soon.
What a dumb comment. They were one of the most storied franchises in baseball and had great attendance until ownership gutted the team of talent.
Feels better to just run your mouth on the internet though, doesn’t it?
Touch grass bro
Oh MLB can’t afford it, LOL? And yet they’re sticking with the guy who bought a team averaging 26k fans/game and spent 20 years driving that into the ground. And exactly how much time have they spent analyzing what kind of attendance they will draw in LV? I would put the over under at 0 and call it a push. News flash: MLB doesn’t care about the A’s, Oakland or Las Vegas. They care about the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Cubs, and a few others. Everybody else is just playing musical chairs.
The A’s had 3 of the top 10 highest attended games of the last 10 years. That is until John Fisher started closing parts of the stadium and tarping off others in 2016 while selling off all the best players and doubling ticket prices. Even then they had sold out games.
The Coliseum holds 56k and they filled it on multiple occasions.
F that guy.
I take it you did not send a Christmas card to Kaval
Mike Campbell has entered the chat.
Long live the Heartbreakers!
And…Fleetwood Mac?
I’m amazed that Petty and Buckingham never made an album together. The “Walls” version on which Buckingham sings backing vocals is tremendous. I was hoping it would lead to something more.
davemlaw: What a mature, thoughtful comment – if you’re 14.
in related news, the captain of the titanic has left the maritime industry to pursue other interests
The A’s originally announced a 49 acres binding land deal in Vegas and their goal to get $500m in public money.
They ended up on 9 acres with $380m in public money and no takers on equity they’ve been trying to sell for a year.
No wonder Fisher is so pissed at Kaval that he would push him to resign.
They break ground in like three months. Cope on.
Nah, even Tim Hill from the LVCVA said possibly the fall of 25′.
They are still clearing out the old Trop demo site. Just drove past it a couple weeks ago.
Wrong. The Las Vegas Stadium Authority has approved all necessary documents, including the Lease Agreement, Non-Relocation Agreement, Community Benefits Agreement, and Development Agreement. The financing plan has been audited, reviewed and approved, Construction will begin this spring.
9 acre no mule
The California part is interesting.
Eh, I think it just means he’s not moving to Nevada.
Right…because staying California means he won’t be in Nevada.
Kaval is weasel
Insult to mustelids everywhere
I otter give you a thumbs-up for badgering him.
Makes you wonder how instrumental Kaval was in the destruction of the A’s as a whole looking at how terrible the last several years have been for them
Kaval’s a lying weasel and a coward, good riddance
I look for him to get a job in some politician’s office of misinformation. After all, he’s a pro at it.
Good riddance to that unctuous worm.
Dr. Smith from Lost in Space would have enjoyed that one.
Oh, dear. Oh, dear.
Pipe down, you pusillanimous pipsqueak.
irwinallen.fandom.com/wiki/Dr._Smith%27s_Insults
All things being equal, it beats being called a bubble-headed booby.
Pipe down? More like pipe up, amirite? Lively up yourself, sir Stonehenge.
Heh heh you old
Heh heh, old enough.
I meant the stoner, the Frozen stoner. Elsa Bong
8 amazing years of delivering dog turd sandwiches to the fans. Hopefully, his next venture is a deep sea submarine visiting the titanic wreckage.
He can bring the owner of the A’s with him and they can also feel free to save Wander Franco a seat.
Honestly, a death sub for scumbags is something id want my taxpayer dollars to go towards, rather than taxpayer-funded billionaire business parks called stadiums.
Maybe Boeing could make it? They have been on a roll with messing up. This could be their turnaround…or not, whatever works.
I’m at home depot returning a drill press I got for Christmas and I “LOL’d” loudly after reading “DEATH SUB” glol
Watch out A’s fans bc Zaidi may try & swoop in & become new President of Baseball Operations!
Should that happen you can expect dumpster diving, waiver, Tier 3, platoon/opener & recovering from injury players
Makes sense that he is leaving as he was in charge of the move relocation and that is moving forward now
You’d think he’d want to stick around for the part where they start building the stadium if it was that cut and dry.
Not everyone gets to stay in the taxpayer-and-revenue-sharing free money boat when it untethers itself from the old mooring.
This guy is a lying POS!
John Fisher used him as a guinea pig so he can stay away from the public and all descion making from an owner. The owner has the last call on improving the team not the president. Tell your 3 billion net worth of an owner to spend or sell
“We are grateful that Dave has been willing to sell his soul to enrich me over the last 8 years. His ability to lie with a straight face and his complete lack of compassion for fans and longtime employees of the A’s has been invaluable in destroying this once proud franchise and moving it to a minor league park where I can continue to line my pockets with real billionaires money”.
What John Fisher really meant.
Nice to not see anything regarding A’s news using references from Mick Akers, the A’s mouthpiece.
Kaval was a joke and it was interesting how he disappeared from the public eye as the year went on.
REJOICE
Looks like there’s a job opening in California for Shatkins…nudge nudge …. When can Toronto fans arrange a “going away” party for?….
If only that would happen
I still call them the El Segundo A’s because that is where Fisher claimed he lost his wallet.
Nice
Good. But the damage that terrorist did is already done
Meh, too much drama. More like con artist with the shell gm, 1 in 3 chance, where the kibble go?
Didn’t want to go to sacto it would seem
I wish the A’s would open up their comments so we could personally thank Kaval for his contribution to A’s baseball.
Y’all should pitch in and purchase a billboard ad.
Such as? I always thought the “rooted in Oakland” marketing by Dave was a farce. I always had a feeling they didnt want to stay. in Oakland.
Felt FIscher (and Dave) were/are business men. They get more of a return on investment by having a stadium in Vegas. The Las Vegas A’s will rise in value when the stadium is finished.
And yet, you couldn’t get either of them to actually go to Las Vegas personally in a hundred years. Their return on investment will depend on what they’re willing to put into it. If they run the team like they did in Oakland, their return will be what it’s always been. MLB revenue sharing and not much else.
Kaval has been in Las Vegas all along. He’s been the point person in all of the discussions with the Stadium Authority, and he’s been the one being interviewed by the Las Vegas news media. He just doesn’t want to move there.
Yet he has no problem banishing the team there. Probably should tell you something.
I have never even heard of this guy.
Well I guess Dave doesnt want to join the Las Vegas A’s in Sac for the next few seasons. Or maybe Fischer wants another face for the move to Las Vegas.? Maybe a stronger face.? The Las Vegas A’s will need it.