By all accounts, Major League Baseball’s talks with its players union about a new contract are proceeding smoothly. But, sources say, the agreement could be costly to the long-struggling Oakland A’s.
The A’s are in danger of losing some or even all of their substantial annual check from baseball’s revenue-sharing system, which redistributes income from richer teams to poorer teams to maintain competitive balance. Oakland was grandfathered into the program because of its antiquated stadium, despite being in a larger market, and received upward of $34 million in revenue sharing last season.
A’s officials declined to comment, citing ongoing labor negotiations, but there are many in the union — as well as other team owners who shell out revenue-sharing checks each year — who believe the A’s aren’t doing an adequate job of spending that hefty sum on team improvement.