A’s President Dave Kaval Announces Resignation

A’s President Dave Kaval announced Friday that he will step down from his role to “pursue new business opportunities in California.” His last day with the team will be December 31st. 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 interim president of the A’s while the club conducts a search for a new president in early 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 has led 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, guiding the organization to success during our interim years in West Sacramento and 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 was taking on an even larger role at the time. He was 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 former home, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Kaval played an integral role in the construction of what is now known as PayPal Stadium in San Jose, home of the MLS’ Earthquakes (also owned by Fisher). Upon his hiring, he declared his enthusiasm for “[pursuing] a world-class stadium in Oakland for baseball’s best fans.

Clearly, this never panned out. Kaval and Fisher drew harsh criticism from A’s fans during the latter part of his time with the team, as many questioned the sincerity of the team’s desire to remain in Oakland. The A’s announced in 2023 that they planned to move to Las Vegas and have since begun the process of moving 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 Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, the home of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. They are expected to move to their new permanent home in Las Vegas in 2028.