MLB team reportedly laying off about half of its staff

When the Major League Baseball season resumed after the All-Star Break, a large portion of one team’s employees were told their employment with the team was nearing its end.

The Oakland Athletics are in their final months in Oakland, which has been their home since 1968. The A’s are currently scheduled to play in Las Vegas in 2028. From 2025 to 2027, they will play in Sacramento. And with the change of scenery, the team may have to lay off half of its employees.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the details.

“Immediately following the All-Star Game, the Oakland Athletics moved to furlough a large portion of their workforce,” Slusser wrote. “According to sources, the team has notified as many as 50% of its non-baseball staff that they will be out of work as of October 31, with ticketing, finance, stadium operations, marketing, sales, legal and community relations being particularly affected.

One employee summed up the situation bluntly.

“’This is all terrible,’ said one longtime employee in a department that is effectively being laid off. ‘This is beyond terrible.'”

The news isn’t surprising. It happens almost every time a team leaves town. But it makes a situation — which has already drawn a lot of criticism — feel even worse.

(SFChronicle.com (full article behind paywall))